. 

•ton. 


ARMY  MEMOIRS 


OF 


LUCIUS   W.    BARBER, 


COMPANY  "D," 


15TH   ILLINOIS    VOLUNTEER    INFANTRY. 


MAY  24,  fBGlJ TO  SEPT.  30(1865.  M 


CHICAGO: 

TIIK  J.  M.  W.  JONES  STATIONERY  AND  PHINTING  Co, 

7ti  TO  S3  SHERMAN  STHKKT. 

1894. 


COPYRIGHT,  1894, 
BY  ROSE  BARBER  STEVENS. 


TABLE  OK  CONTENTS, 


CHAPTER  I. 

Cause  of  Rebellion — Demands  of  the  South— Secession— Our  Flag  Fired 
Upon— Call  for  Troops — Response  of  the  Loyal  Masses 9 

CHAPTER  II. 

Enlistment— Organization  of  the  Company— Accepted  by  the  Govern- 
ment—Election of  Officers — Ordered  into  Camp  at  Freeport,  111. . .  10 

CHAPTER  III. 

Election  of  Field  Officers— Sworn  in  for  Three  Years,  or  During  the 
War- Receive  a  Visit  from  a  Load  of  Riley  Friends— Receive  a 
Furlough— Move  Camp  to  Alton— Camp  Life  in  Alton— Sickness  of 
Troops— Seventeenth  and  Twentieth  Regiments — Colonel  Hecker's 
Germans — Celebration  of  the  Fourth  of  July— Guard  Mounting — 
Dress  Parade — Orders  to  March 13 

CHAPTER  IV. 

On  Picket— Battle  of  Bull  Run— Feeling  of  the  Soldiers  at  Our  Defeat 
— Ordered  to  Mexico,  Missouri — Gen.  Grant  and  the  Twenty-first 
Illinois  Volunteers — Gen.  Pope— Poor  Rations — Soldiers'  Yarns- 
Right  Wing  Ordered  to  Fulton,  the  Left  to  Hannibal — Dr.  Rod- 
man—Fulton—Danger of  Our  Situation— An  Alarm— Dress  Parade 
—Orders  to  Move 20 

CHAPTER  V. 

Thirteenth  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry — Received  Pay—  Sigel's  Army 
— Fortifications— Sickness— Elon  Discharged— Death  of  James — 
Receive  Recruits  -  Breaking  Them  In— Mail  Days — Sisters'  Letters 
—Orders  to  March— Jefferson  City— Tipton— Camp  Hunter— Prep- 
arations for  an  Active  Campaign 27 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Ordered  to  Sycamore— Return— Otterville — Winter  Quarters — Severity 
of  the  Weather— A  Peep  into  the  Domestic  Arrangement  of  Tent 


iv  TABLE  OF  CONTENT?. 

No.  6— Ordered  to  March— Sedalia— Capture  of  Thirteen  Hundred 
Prisoners — Back  to  Otterville— Sickness— Disappointment — Death 
of  Zine— Orders  to  March— Sent  by  Rail  to  Jefferson  City— St. 
Louis  —  The  Regiment  on  a  Spree— Ft.  Donelson— Pittsburg 
Landing 37 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Shiloh— Battle  of  Pittsburg  Lauding 50 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

After  the  Battle— Siege  of  Corinth— Evacuation  of  Corinth  by  the 
Rebels — Ordered  to  Grand  Junction  and  Lagrange,  Tennessee— A 
Raid  into  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi 60 

CHAPTER    IX. 

Memphis— Marching  Orders— Hot  Weather— Sunstroke— Entry  in 
Memphis— Ragged  Soldiers— Strategy  of  Three  Members  of  Com- 
pany D— Milton  Missing 73 

CHAPTER    X. 

Marching  Orders— Battle  of  Corinth  and  the  Hatchie — Splendid  Fight- 
ing—Brilliant Victory— Gens.  Hurlbut,  Ord  and  Veatch— Active 
Preparations  for  a  Fall  Campaign  Through  Mississippi 81 

CHAPTER    XL 

Gen.  McPherson— Ninety-fifth  Illinois  Volunteers — Fourteenth  and 
Fifteenth  on  Playing  Off  Jokes— Captain  Fox  and  Dr.  Stevenson — 
Army  on  the  Move — Retrograde  Movement— Hard  Times 86 

CHAPTER   XII. 

Holly  Springs— Col.  Loomis  and  Twenty-sixth  Illinois— Third  Brigade 
Dubbed  as  "Lauman'sMob" — Moscow — Counter-marching— I  Get  a 
Good  Ducking  — Interesting  Picket— Lafayette  —  Foraging— Dis- 
graceful Conduct  of  Two  Members  of  Company  D  —Rebel  Successes 
—Depression  of  the  Spirits  of  the  Army — Northern' Sympathizers — 
New  Chaplain— Guarding  Railroads— Major  Nase — Memphis  Again 
— Regirttental  Entertainment 93 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Siege  of  Vicksburg— Daring  Exploits— Surrender  of  Pemberton  and  His 
Army -After  Johnson— Jeff  Davis'  Plantation— Charge  on  the 
Rebels  at  Jackson — Rebels  Retreat— On  the  Sick  List— Gen. Crocker 
— Return  to  Vicksburg — Sent  to  Natchez — Natchez— Very  Sick- 
Expedition  into  Louisiana— Receive  a  Furlough 110 


TABLE  of  CONTENTS.  f 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

At  Home— Return — Re-enlistment — A  Raid  into  Mississippi  —Fight  at 
Champion  Hill — Home  Again— Ho,  for  Dixie— Sherman's  Campaign 
—Railroad  Guard— Hard  Service — Consolidation 130 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Fight  at  Ackworth— A  Prisoner— Prison  Life — Paroled — Annapolis — 
Home  Again — New  York— Rejoined  the  Army — Surrender  of  Lee — 

£  J  Assassination  of  Lincoln— Surrender  of  Johnson — Close  of  the  War 
—Washington— Reviews— Louisville— Sent  to  the  Plains— Home 
Again— Return— Leaven  worth— Discharge— Closing  Remarks 158 


PR  E  KACK. 


In  the  War  for  the  Preservation  of  the  American  Union,  the 
principles  which  were  involved  in  the  struggle  met  with  a  glorious 
triumph  in  maintaining  the  integrity  of  the  Union  and  the 
supremacy  of  constitutional  law.  Striking  the  shackles  from  four 
millions  of  human  beings,  it  has  purged  our  land  from  the  foul 
stain  of  human  slavery,  thus  placing  it  upon  a  secure  foundation 
for  the  preservation  of  freedom  by  granting  to  all  who  come  under 
its  protection  "life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness."  AH 
the  leading  incidents  connected  with  the  Rebellion  are  now  before 
the  people,  and  each  can  trace,  if  they  will,  the  perilous  track 
through  which  our  noble  "Ship  of  State"  so  triumphantly 
breasted  the  tide  of  treason  and  rebellion  and  rolled  back  the 
waves  of  secession  which  threatened  to  engulf  us  all  in  one 
common  ruin,  and  the  twenty-five  hundred  thousand  men  who 
shouldered  the  musket  and  fought  for  the  cause,  are  each  partakers 
of  the  glory  of  the  achievement.  And  while  the  historian  will  faith- 
fully record  our  united  action,  as  a  whole,  for  the  millions  to  read, 
yet  each  has  a  private  record  which  will  more  particularly  interest 
his  friends.  It  is  my  purpose  in  the  following  pages  to  represent 
in  part  my  record  during  the  terrible  struggle  of  our  Nation  for 
existence. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Honest  men  of  every  political  creed  will  unite  in  saying  that 
the  institution  of  slavery  and  the  persistent  advocacy  of  its  abolish- 
ment by  the  Abolitionists  of  the  North,  the  triumph  of  the 
Republican  Party  opposed  to  its  extension,  and  the  ambition  of  the 
southern  demagogues,  were  the  main  causes  which  brought  about 
the  rebellion.  The  South  was  continually  demanding  concessions 
and  new  guarantees  for  the  spread  and  protection  of  the  institution 
of  slavery,  and  our  Government,  backed  by  a  Democratic  Congress, 
had  yielded  to  their  demands  until  yielding  ceased  to  be  a  virtue, 
and  when  they  saw  the  tide  setting  against  them,  they,  with  blind, 
unholy  ambition  and  a  fiendish  hate,  attempted  to  tear  down  the 
framework  of  our  Government  and  plant  upon  its  ruins  a  nation 
founded  upon  the  principle  of  slavery.  The  loyal  heart  of  the 
Nation  looked  on  with  apathy  while  the  South  was  making  its  final 
preparations  to  secede.  Oar  Government  had  so  successfully 
buffeted  the  tide  of  treason  in  1832  that  the  people  thought  we 
would  safely  outride  this  storm,  but  no  Jackson  was  at  the  helm. 
We  could  not  believe  that  our  southern  brethren  were  in  earnest 
regarding  their  threats.  It  was  a  vain  hope,  and  it  was  not  until 
our  forts  had  been  seized  and  our  flag  fired  upon  that  the  people 
were  aroused  from  their  stupor.  Then  as  the  lightning's  flash,  the 
loyal  heart  of  the  Nation  was  aroused.  The  fire  of  patriotism  and 
fidelity  to  our  country  lit  up  the  altar  of  freedom  from  the  rock- 
bound  coast  of  Maine  to  the  far-spreading  prairies  of  the  West, 
illumining  every  valley,  hill-top  and  plain.  Countless  thousands 
thronged  to  the  altar  of  our  country,  eager  to  wipe  out  the  stain 
upon  our  flag  and  to  keep  its  bright  stars  from  paling  before  the 
lurid  light  of  secession.  In  this  countless  throng  I  took  my  stand. 
Duty  pointed  with  unswerving  finger  toward  our  insulted  banner. 
To  follow  its  lead,  I  freely  leave  the  comforts  of  home,  the  society 
of  friends,  and  haste  to  the  rescue  of  imperiled  freedom. 


1861]  10 


CHAPTER   II. 

April  27th,  1861. 

On  the  27th  day  of  April.  A.D.  1861,  I  enlisted  in  a  military 
company  being  formed  at  Marengo,  Illinois,  from  the  towns  of 
Coral,  Genoa,  Hampshire,  Seneca,  Dunham,  Marengo  and  Riley. 
At  that  time  we  had  little  hopes  of  being  accepted  under  the 
seventy-five  thousand  call,  so  great  was  the  rush  of  troops.  Harley 
Wayne,  one  of  the  leading  spirits  in  getting  up  the  Company,  was 
at  that  time  Clerk  of  the  Assembly  of  our  State  Legislature,  and 
through  his  influence  mainly,  we  were  accepted  as  a  military  com- 
pany for  the  State  defense,  with  the  understanding  that  we  should 
be  transferred  to  the  United  States'  service  if  the  President  called 
for  more  troops.  So  we  at  once  proceeded  to  elect  our  Company 
Officers,  with  the  following  result: 

May  1st. 

HAKLEY  WAYNE,  of  Union Captain. 

FRANK  S.  CURTISS,  of  Marengo 1st  Lieutenant. 

FRED  A.  SMITH,  of  Genoa 2d  Lieutenant. 

P.  I.  LABAGH,  of  Marengo 1st  Sergeant. 

JOHN  WALDOCK,  of  Marengo 2d  Sergeant. 

MIKE  SCHOONMAKER,  of  Eiley 3d  Sergeant. 

AARON  C.  PERRY',  of  Union  4th  Sergeant. 

HARLOW  SHAPLEY,  of  Harmony .  .1st  Corporal. 

ALONZO  HOWE,  of  Harmony 2d  Corporal. 

RICHARD  D.  LANSING,  of  Marengo 3d  Corporal. 

GEORGE  C.  OAKES,  of  Genoa 4th  Corporal. 

GEORGE  A.  CLARK,  of  Marengo Fifer. 

NAT.  ANDREWS,  of  Union Drummer. 

May  Tth. 

After  the  organization  of  the  Company,  we  held  ourselves  sub- 
ject to  orders  and  in  readiness  to  march  when  called  upon.  In 
the  meantime,  some  of  the  boys  returned  to  their  homes  and  pur- 
sued xheir  usual  avocations,  while  some  stayed  in  town  and  were 
boarded  and  lodged  by  the  generosity  of  the  people  of  Marengo; 
but  soon  an  order  came  from  Governor  Yates  ordering  us  to  report 
at  Freeport,  Illinois,  on  the  llth  of  May  and  go  into  Camp  of 
Instruction. 


J 1  [1861 

May  llth. 

The  llth  of  May  soon  came  around  and  the  usually  quiet 
streets  of  Mirengo  were  thronged  with  spectators,  friends  and 
relatives  of  the  soldiers  who  had  come  to  witness  their  departure. 
A  few  hours  before  leaving,  the  ladies  of  Marengo  presented  the 
Company  with  a  tine  flag  and  'neath  its  folds  we  took  a  solemn 
vow  never  to  disgrace  it  or  bring  it  back  until  our  flag  could  wave 
in  triumph  over  all  our  land.  The  shrill  snort  of  the  iron  horse  now 
told  us  that  the  hour  had  come  to  sever  home  associations  and  take 
the  tented  field.  Amidst  the  tears  and  benedictions  of  our  friends, 
the  train  moved  on.  Smothering  the  pent-up  emotions  which  were 
surging  in  my  soul,  I  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  I  could 
greet  them  all  again,  when  peace  had  folded  her  mantle  over  a 
rescued  country.  We  arrived  at  Freeport  at  11  A.  M.  and  went 
into  camp  on  the  fair  grounds,  south  of  the  city.  We  immediately 
went  to  work  fitting  up  our  quarters  to  make  them  so  that  we  could 
use  them  for  the  night.  Rows  of  sheds  were  built  on  the  outer 
edge,  straw  thrown  in  and  on  this  we  made  our  first  bed  in  camp, 
each  soldier  having  brought  a  quilt  with  him.  We  found  several 
other  companies  here  from  different  counties  and  by  Monday  night 
ten  full  companies  had  arrived,  the  complement  of  a  regiment  of 
infantry.  We  were  designated  as  the  loth  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  and  were  formed  from  the  1st  Congressional  District 
under  what  was  called  the  "Ten  Regiment  Bill'1  which  provided 
for  the  raising  of  one  regiment  in  each  Congressional  District,  and 
one  from  the  State  at  large.  Our  regiment  was  formed  from  the 
following  counties: 

Lake,  One  Company  (I),    Captain  JONES. 

McHenry,     One  Company  (A),   Captain  KELLY. 

McIIenry,     One  Company  <F),  Captain  HENRY. 

McHenry,     One  Company  (D),   Captain  WAYNE. 

Boone,  One  Company  (B),    Captain  HURLBUT. 

Winnebago,  One  Company  (C),    Captain  ELLIS. 

Stephenson,  One  Company  (H),   Captain  SWIFT. 

Stephenson,  One  Company  (E),  Captain  BUHNSIDE. 

Jo  Daviess,    One  Company  (Gi,  Captain  GODDARD. 

Carroll,         One  Company  (K),  Captain  NASE. 

May  13th. 

We  went  into  camp  with  no  provision  made  for  rations  and 
cooking  utensils.  Our  supper  the  first  night  consisted  of  raw 
beef  which  we  cooked  by  holding  on  a  sharp  slick  over  a  poor 
fire;  but  nevertheless  we  enjoyed  our  supper  well  and  bore  our 


1861]  12 

privations  in  good  humor,  considering  it  a  good  initiation  into  the 
beauties  of  camp  life.  Many  a  time  since  then  we  would  have 
considered  such  a  meal  a  rich  feast.  Monday  the  camp  was  put 
under  strict  military  rules,  no  one  being  allowed  to  pass  in  or  out 
without  a  pass  from  a  commanding  officer.  Company  B  came 
provided  with  muskets  and  they  were  used  for  guard  duty.  Happy 
indeed  was  the  fellow  who  was  lucky  enough  to  get  on  guard,  and 
one  would  imagine,  to  see  him  strutting  back  and  forth,  that  the 
"fate  of  an  empire"  depended  upon  his  vigilance;  but  time  and 
service  took  the  "primp"  out  of  us.  Soon  the  guard  duty  ceased 
to  be  a  novelty  and  some  of  the  boys  became  as  anxious  to  evade 
duty  as  they  had  been  to  perform  it.  Their  main  energies  were 
devoted  now  to  see  how  they  could  evade  the  guard  and  get  down 
town  and  have  a  time.  Many  stratagems  were  employed  and  many 
tricks  were  played  to  accomplish  what  they  wanted,  but  a  large 
majority  of  the  soldiers  lived  up  to  the  rules  and  conducted  them- 
selves as  properly  as  they  would  were  they  at  their  own  firesides. 
Drilling  soon  became  the  order  of  the  day.  We  were  up  and  tak- 
ing the  double-quick  before  breakfast,  trotting  around  camp  until 
sheer  exhaustion  would  compel  us  to  stop;  but  this  practice  was 
soon  discontinued  as  it  began  to  tell  on  the  health  of  the  men. 
Moderate  exercise  before  breakfast  promotes  health,  but  undue 
exercise  destroys  it.  We  had  company  drill  two  hours  in  the 
morning,  then  rested  one  hour  and  then  had  battalion  drill  until 
dinner.  The  same  order  was  observed  in  the  afternoon.  Prescott 
was  our  drill  master's  name.  The  roll  was  called  at  sunrise  and 
all  lights  out  by  ten  p.  M. 


13 


CHAPTER  III. 

May  15th. 

Daring  the  week  we  elected  our  field  officers,  which  resulted  in 
the  selection  of— 

THOS.  J.  TURNER,  of  Freeport,  for  Colonel. 
E.  F.  W.  ELLIS,  of  Rockford,  for  Lieut-Colonel. 
WILLIAM  E.  GODDARD,  of  Lena,  for  Major. 
LIEUT.  BAKER,  of  Belvidere,  appointed  Adjutant. 
CHAS.  F.  BARBER,  of  Polo,  appointed  Sergt. -Major. 
L.  WHITE,  appointed  Drum  Major. 

The  election  of  tield  officers  was  close.  The  Eion.  S.  A.  Hurlbut 
ran  for  Colonel  and  was  beaten  by  a  few  votes,  but  he  was  soon 
made  a  Brigadier-General,  which  reconciled  him  to  his  defeat. 

May  18th. 

On  the  18th  we  were  sworn  into  the  State  service.  Here  some 
were  rejected  on  account  of  height  and  physical  disability,  five  feet 
and  six  inches  being  the  shortest  to  insure  acceptance.  So  eager 
were  some  of  the  boys  to  be  accepted  they  would  attempt  to  con- 
ceal their  deformities  and  would  appear  as  tall  as  possible  when 
passing  before  the  mustering  officer.  Same  felt  so  bad  as  lo  shed 
tears  at  their  rejection;  but  the  increasing  demand  of  the  Govern- 
ment for  troops  necessitated  a  modification  of  these  rules. 

May  24th. 

On  the  24th  of  May  we  were  transferred  and  sworn  into  the 
U.  S.  service  for  three  years,  or  during  the  war,  by  Captain  Pope, 
afterwards  Major-General.  Our  oath  simply  consisted  in  swearing 
allegiance  to  our  Government  and  obeying  all  legal  orders  of  our 
superior  officers.  On  the  same  day  we  were  sworn  in,  William  and 
Rollin  Mallory,  of  Riley,  and  James  Barber,  of  Java,  New  York, 
joined  the  Company.  James  came  for  the  sole  purpose  of  enlist- 
ing and  being  in  the  same  Company  with  his  brother  and  myself. 
James  was  a  noble  boy.  Too  soon  he  fell  a  martyr  to  the  Cause. 
We  also  on  this  day  received  a  visit  from  a  load  of  Riley  friends 
who  stayed  with  us  all  night.  On  the  next  day  Joseph  Barber  and 
Joe  Taylor  made  me  a  visit. 


June  1st. 

June  1st,  Elon,  James,  Rollin,  William,  Harvey  Huntingdon 
and  myself  received  three  days1  leave  of  absence  to  go  home  and 
make  our  final  adieux.  It  was  the  last  time  I  saw  home  for  nearly 
three  years.  Ere  that  time  had  elapsed  the  fire  blaze  of  battle  had 
swept  over  me.  Toil,  hunger  and  sickness  had  left  their  marks 
upon  me.  Death,  too,  had  made  its  mark  in  the  family  circle  and 
took  a  loved  sister  to  her  spirit  home.  Alzina,  how  well  I  remem- 
ber your  last  sad  goodbye,  with  your  arms  thrown  around  my  neck 
and  warm  kisses  imprinted  upon  my  cheek!  Years  have  elapsed 
since  then,  still  that  last  goodbye  is  as  fresh  in  my  memory  as 
though  it  were  yesterday.  Even  now,  I  can  almost  feel  your 
breath  upon  my  cheek,  the  clasp  of  your  arms  about  my  neck.  I 
know  that  you  are  with  me.  What  we  call  death  cannot  bar  loved 
ones  from  our  presence.  In  spirit,  they  are  ever  near  to  comfort 
and  to  cheer. 

June  3d. 

When  we  got  back  to  camp,  we  found  it  dressed  in  habiliments 
of  mourning  in  memory  of  the  lamented  Douglas.  His  funeral 
obsequies  were  observed  in  Frecport  and  the  regiment  attended 
en  masse. 

June  10th. 

Each  company  now  drew  twenty-five  muskets  with  accoutre- 
ments, and  army  blankets  one  to  two  men, 

June  18th. 

On  the  18th  of  June  we  were  ordered  to  remove  camp  to 
Alton,  Illinois.  At  this  time  we  had  more  baggage  in  one  com- 
pany than  would  be  allowed  in  a  whole  brigade  in  one  of  Sher- 
man's campaigns.  It  took  two  heavy  trains  to  remove  the  regi- 
ment. We  were  vociferously  cheered  all  along  the  route,  the  fail- 
sex  singing  patriotic  songs  wherever  we  stopped  and  expressing 
their  sympathy  in  various  other  ways.  We  arrived  at  Alton  the 
next  day  and  went  into  camp  one  mile  north  of  the  city.  The 
Seventeenth,  Twentieth  and  Hecker's  German  Regiment,  Twenty- 
fourth,  were  camped  with  us,  forming  a  brigade  commanded  by 
Brigadier-General  John  Pope,  late  Captain  Pope.  Colonel  Turner 
assumed  command  of  the  camp  and  it  was  soon  placed  in  a  state  of 
rigid  discipline.  The  same  order  was  observed  here  as  at  Free- 
port  in  regard  to  drilling,  etc.  We  now  had  a  reorganization  in 
our  culinary  department.  Heretofore  the  men  formed  in  messes 


15  [1861 

to  suit  their  convenience;  now  the  whole  company  was  put  into 
one  mess.  A  company  cook  was  detailed  (John  Bliss)  and  five 
more  were  detailed  daily  to  assist  him.  We  bought  a  large  coffee 
boiler,  holding  ten  gallons,  and  camp  kettles  to  match.  This 
arrangement  gave  general  dissatisfaction,  but  the  captain  was 
inexorable  and  would  not  change. 

July  4th. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  duly  observed  and  celebrated  in  an 
appropriate  manner.  The  boys  were  all  allowed  a  day  of  freedom 
and  were  put  upon  their  honor  as  men  and  soldiers  to  conduct 
themselves  properly,  and  with  a  few  exceptions,  their  behavior 
was  good,  which  is  saying  a  great  deal  for  so  large  a  body  of  men 
where  it  is  expected  there  will  be  many  "bad  cases."  The  jokes 
and  stratagems  used  by  the  boys  were  endless,  to  elude  the  guard 
and  get  down  town.  A  novel  mode  of  punishment  was  now  in- 
augurated for  very  fractious  soldiers,  which  consisted  in  drumming 
them  out  of  camp,  by  two  men  walking  behind  the  offender  with 
fixed  bayonets  pressing  pretty  close  to  his  rear,  and  two  musicians 
in  front  playing  the  rogues'  march,  passing  between  two  lines  of 
soldiers  drawn  up  for  the  occasion,  his  head  shaved  clean  on  one 
side,  his  clothes  turned  wrong  side  out,  hooted  and  jeered  at  by 
his  companions  as  ho  passed  along,  until  he  was  out  of  camp. 
Such  cases  received  very  little  sympathy  from  good  soldiers,  as 
they  were  always  bringing  trouble.  Degrading  as  this  kind  of 
punishment  was.  its  moral  had  very  little  effect.  There  is  no 
doubt  but  that,  if  it  had  continued,  we  would  have  got  rid  of  all 
of  our  hard  cases,  but  it  would  have  wofully  decimated  our  ranks. 
Too  many  were  too  anxious  to  get  out  of  the  army  to  care  in  what 
manner  they  effected  their  designs.  Another  mode  of  punishment 
was  setting  the  offender  to  digging  stumps  and  cleaning  camp  with 
a  guard  stationed  over  him  to  see  that  he  kept  at  work.  In  this 
manner  our  camp  was  cleared  of  stumps  which  thickly  covered 
one  hundred  acres. 

July  10th. 

Sickness  now  began  to  prevail  to  a  considerable  extent,  over 
two  hundred  being  on  the  sick  list  at  one  time.  Several  deaths 
occurred  while  we  were  camped  here.  A  considerable  number 
were  being  discharged.  Surgeons  at  this  time  would  make  out 
discharges  for  slight  causes,  and,  if  an  order  from  the  War  Depart- 
ment had  not  put  a  stop  to  it,  our  army  would  soon  have  become 


1861]  16 

badly  decimated.  The  U.  S.  inspecting  officer  visited  us  here  and 
he  paid  the  regiment  a  high  compliment  for  its  appearance  and  the 
military  spirit  it  displayed.  I  will  now  give  a  detailed  account  of 
some  of  the  military  maneuvers  which  were  a  part  of  our  daily 
routine  of  duty,  such  as  guard  mounting  and  dress  parade. 
Reveille  was  sounded  at  day-break,  which  was  a  signal  for  the  camp 
to  arouse  and,  at  the  call  of  the  bugle,  for  roll  call,  the  different 
companies  fell  into  line  to  answer  to  their  names.  If  any  failed 
to  appear,  unless  a  reasonable  excuse  was  given,  they  were  sent  to 
the  guard-house.  Next  came  the  breakfast  call  ;  then  the  sick 
call,  and  all  who  were  sick  or  felt  as  though  they  were  going  to  be 
sick,  were  marched  up  to  receive  their  regular  rations  of  quinine 
and  get  excused  from  duty  if  they  could.  After  the  sick  call, 
came  guard  mounting  for  which  two  calls  were  sounded,  the  first 
to  get  ready.  Everyone  was  required  to  have  a  clean  gun,  clean 
clothes,  boots  blacked — m  short,  they  were  expected  to  look  tidy 
and  neat.  Anyone  failing  to  comply  with  these  regulations  was 
sent  back  to  his  quarters  or  to  the  guard-house-  At  the  sound  of 
the  second  bugle,  the  orderlies  from  each  company  formed  their 
guard  and  marched  to  the  place  of  guard  mounting,  which  is  gen- 
erally near  headquarters.  They  form  in  line  as  they  arrive  at  open 
ranks,  standing  at  parade  rest.  The  last  movement  is  performed 
from  an  order  arms  by  placing  the  hollow  of  the  right  foot  two 
inches  in  the  rear,  and  at  a  right  angle  with  the  left  heel,  at  the 
same  time  turning  your  gun  partly  around,  lock  plate  in;  carry 
the  muzzle  of  your  gun  in  front  of  you,  seizing  the  stock  just  below 
the  first  band  with  your  right  hand  and  just  above  it  with  your 
left,  throwing  your  weight  upon  your  left  leg.  Alter  the  guard  is 
all  in  line,  properly  covered,  counted  off  and  the  detail  verified  by 
the  scrgeant-rnajor,  the  adjutant  takes  his  position  on  the  right  of 
the  detail  next  to  the  officer  of  the  guard.  The  sergeant-major 
takes  his  position  on  the  left  and  the  non  commissioned  officers  in 
the  rear,  then  the  adjutant  steps  two  paces  to  the  front  and  comes 
to  a  left  face  and  commands  "  Guard,  attention.  Shoulder  arms. 
Right  dress.  Front.  Present  arms.  Order  arms.  Parade  rest. " 
Then  turning  to  the  music  on  his  right  commands,  "  Troops  lead 
off."  The  roll  is  sounded  and  then  the  band  marches  five  paces  to 
the  front,  file  left  and  phiy  slow  time  along  the  length  of  the  detail. 
They  then  counter-march,  playing  quick  time,  and  resume  their 
original  position.  The  adjutant  then  commands  "•Shoulder  arms. 


IT  |is:>i 

Rear  rank.  Right  dress.  Front."  At  the  latter  command,  the 
officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  take  their  position  in  front 
of  the  detail,  the  officer  of  the  guard  in  advance,  the  sergeant  in 
rear  of  the  officer  of  the  guard,  single  tile,  and  the  corporals  in 
rear  of  the  sergeant.  The  adjutant  then  salutes  the  officer  of  the 
day  and  brings  the  guard  to  a  "  present  arms,"  then  to  "  shoulder 
arms"  and  commands,  "Officers  and  non-commissioned  officers  to 
your  posts.  March."  The  officer  of  the  guard  remaining  in  the 
same  position  at  an  about  face,  the  non-commissioned  officers  going 
back  to  their  original  position.  Officer  of  the  guard  then  com- 
mands "Inspection  arms."  At  the  latter  command,  the  guard 
bring  their  pieces  to  the  front,  placing  the  butt  between  the  feet 
with  the  barrel  outward,  draw  the  rammer  and  insert  it  in  the 
barrel.  When  the  inspecting  officer  comes  to  him,  he  seizes  the 
gun  at  the  lower  band,  tosses  it  up  to  his  left  hip,  catching  it  in  his 
left  hand  at  the  lower  band,  the  breech  resting  just  above  the  hip, 
bringing  the  middle  band  about  on  the  level  with  the  eye,  lock 
plate  out,  muzzle  thrown  forward  at  an  angle  of  about  forty -five 
degrees,  in  which  position  the  inspecting  officer  receives  the  gun. 
The  officer  of  the  guard,  if  he  outranks  the  adjutant,  inspects  the 
front  rank  and  the  adjutant  the  rear.  The  band  plays  during 
inspection.  After  inspection,  the  adjutant  brings  the  guard  to  a 
"shoulder  arms,"  "right  wheel,"  or  "right  face,"  pass  in  review 
before  the  officer  of  the  day  and  then  march  to  the  guard -house 
where  they  are  divided  off  into  the  first,  second  and  third  relief. 

Dress  Parade.  At  the  call  of  the  first  bugle  the  men  get  ready 
by  dressing  in  uniform,  putting  on  their  accoutrements.  At  the 
second  call,  the  different  orderlies  form  their  companies,  call  the 
roll,  mark  all  the  absentees.  The  captain  then  marches  his  com- 
pany to  its  proper  position  in  the  regiment  on  the  parade  ground. 
On  coming  into  line,  he  throws  out  his  right  guide  if  dressing  on 
the  left,  left  guide  if  dressing  on  the  right.  (It  is  customary  to 
dress  on  the  center  or  flag  company.)  The  adjutant  arranges  the 
guides  and  forms  the  line,  after  which  he  steps  two  paces  to  the 
front,  comes  to  a  left  face  and  commands  "Guide  posts."  The 
captain  then  brings  his  company  to  a  "support  arms"  and  takes 
his  position  on  the  right  of  his  company;  then  commencing  at  the 
right  of  the  regiment  each  company  comes  in  succession  to  a 
"shoulder  and  order  arms;  parade  rest."  The  adjutant  then  com- 
mands "Troops  lead  off.''  The  band  then  plays  as  in  guard 


1861]  18 

mounting,  after  which  the  adjutant  gives  the  command  "Attention 
Battallion.  Shoulder  arms.  Prepare  to  open  ranks,''  when  the 
guides  step  back  three  paces  and  align  themselves.  Then  comes 
the  rest  of  the  order,  "To  the  rear;  open  order;  march."  Rear 
rank  then  steps  back  and  dresses  on  the  guides;  then  comes  the 
order,  "Rear  rank;  right  dress;  front."  At  the  latter  command, 
the  line  officers  step  two  paces  to  the  front  of  the  regiment,  the 
orderly  to  the  right  of  the  company,  the  lieutenant-colonel  on  the 
left  in  front  of  the  line  officers,  and  the  major  on  the  right  of  the 
regiment,  four  paces  in  front  of  the  line  officers.  The  colonel 
takes  his  position  fifty  paces  in  front  and  center  of  the  battalion. 
The  adjutant  now  marches  down  in  front  of  the  regiment  and  in 
rear  of  the  line  officers  to  the  center;  then  comes  to  a  "right  face'' 
and  marches  twenty-five  paces  to  the  front;  about  faces  and  com- 
mands "Present  arms."  (Officers  salute.)  He  then  about  faces 
again,  salutes  the  colonel  and  marches  around  his  right  and  takes 
position  three  paces  to  the  rear  and  left  of  colonel.  The  colonel 
then  draws  sword  and  puts  the  battalion  through  the  manual  of 
arms,  after  which  the  adjutant  marches  back  to  within  twenty-five 
paces  of  the  regiment  and  commands,  "First  sergeants  to  the  front 
and  center;  march."  After  they  have  closed  on  the  center  they 
are  commanded  to  "Front  face.  Report."  Then  commencing  on 
the  right,  each  sergeant  reports  those  present,  accounted  for  and 
absent  without  leave.  After  which  conies  the  command  "First 
sergeants  outward  face.  To  your  posts.  March."  After  which 
the  adjutant  again  about  faces,  salutes,  about  face  again  and  if 
there  are  any  orders,  proceeds  to  read  them,  if  not,  commands 
"Parade,  dismiss."  The  music  then  strikes  up;  the  line  officers 
close  on  the  center,  front  face,  and  marching  to  within  ten  paces  of 
the  colonel,  salute.  The  colonel  if  he  sees  fit,  makes  some 
remarks,  after  which  the  orderlies  march  their  companies  back  to 
their  quarters. 

Our  camp  life  at  Alton  was  nothing  but  a  severe  routine  of 
military  duty;  occasionally  some  little  incident  would  transpire  to 
vary  the  monotony.  The  sale  of  ardent  spirits  soon  got  to  be  a 
growing  evil  in  our  camp,  and  Colonel  Turner  took  measures  to 
suppress  it,  but  one  man  more  bold  than  the  others  defied  him. 
He  moved  his  shop  outside  the  camp,  supposing  that  he  was  out  of 
reach  of  the  Colonel's  authority,  and  continued  to  sell  his  hellish 
fires.  Whereupon  Colonel  Turner  gave  permission  for  a  squad  of 


1!)  |1S<U 

soldiers  to  go  and  arrest  him  and  spill  his  whisky.  These  pro- 
ceedings completely  broke  up  the  whisky  ring.  The  camp  was 
alarmed  one  night  by  a  report  that  our  guard  stationed  over  a 
spring  of  water  had  been  fired  upon  and  an  effort  was  being  made 
to  poison  the  water,  but  I  believe  the  alarm  was  groundless.  I 
think  some  scamp  fired  a  gun  merely  to  frighten  the  guard.  It 
did  not  take  much  to  alarm  us  at  that  time. 

July  18th. 

On  the  IS tli  of  July,  we  were  ordered  to  move  camp  again, 
where,  we  knew  not.  I  was  again  detailed  to  look  for  the  bag- 
gage and  it  was  ten  o'clock  p.  M.  before  everything  was  down  to 
the  levee.  The  regiment  took  up  their  quarters  for  the  night  in 
the  old  State  Prison.  I  stayed  with  the  baggage. 

July  19th.      . 

Ivtrly  the  next  morning  the  steamer  "Alton"  arrived  and  we 
embarked  and  proceeded  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  Missouri 
river.  We  then  turned  our  course  up  that  stream.  Just  as  we 
turned  our  course,  a  soldier  from  Company  H  fell  overboard,  and 
just  as  assistance  was  within  reach,  he  sank  to  rise  no  more.  We 
proceeded  up  the  river  as  far  as  St.  Charles,  Missouri,  where  we 
arrived  the  next  evening  at  nine  o'clock  (July  20th),  and  we  im- 
mediately disembarked  and  went  into  camp  one  mile  above  the 
city.  "VVe  apprehended  some  trouble  on  landing,  as  the  rebels 
were  rampant,  but  no  serious  difficulty  occurred.  We  were  now 
for  the  first  time  in  what  we  considered  an  enemy's  country. 


1861]  20 


CHAPTER  IV. 

July  22d. 

We  could  say  now  that  our  actual  military  life  had  just  begun. 
I  was  placed  on  picket  the  first  night  at  St.  Charles,  and  well  I 
remember  my  feelings  OD  that  occasion.  Word  was  sent  round  to 
us  that  an  attack  was  expected.  You  may  imagine  that  I  did  not 
sleep  any.  Every  noise  was  noticed  and  every  dark  object  turned 
into  imaginary  rebels.  I  could  plainly  hear  the  pulsations  of  my 
own  heart.  I  was  not  what  would  be  termed  "scared,"  but  when 
I  considered  that  the  safety  of  the  camp  depended  upon  my  watch- 
fulness, I  was  afraid  I  could  not  do  my  duty.  The  fellow  that 
was  with  me  was  completely  demoralized,  hence  it  required  greater 
vigilance  on  my  part.  He  deserted  the  same  night  and  nothing 
have  I  heard  of  him  since.  Here  we  heard  of  the  terrible  and 
disastrous  battle  of  Bull  Run,  and  a  deep,  burning  shame  crim- 
soned our  cheeks  at  the  defeat  and  disgrace  of  our  arms.  The 
first  reports  were  favorable,  but  the  sad  sequel  soon  came  and  our 
Government  learned  a  lesson  which  they  did  not  soon  forget.  The 
clamor  and  impatience  of  the  North  urged  on  that  battle  before  it 
should  have  been  fought,  but  the  people  soon  found  out  that  the 
Rebellion  was  a  monster  which  was  not  to  be  crushed  in  a  few 
days  with  a  few  thousand  men.  General  Pope  moved  his  head- 
quarters here  for  the  present. 

July  30th. 

We  now  practiced  target-shooting  daily.  We  had  drawn  our 
mil  complement  of  guns,  tents  and  other  equipments  before  we 
left  Alton.  We  now  began  to  get  a  foretaste  of  army  fare.  Our 
bacon  was  so  maggoty  that  it  could  almost  walk,  and  our  hard-tack 
so  hard  we  could  hardly  break  it.  We  were  not  sorry  when  the 
order  came  for  us  to  move  camp  to  Mexico,  Missouri,  which  was 
about  two  hundred  miles  from  St.  Charles.  The  road  was  infested 
Avith  guerrillas  and  bushwhackers.  A  detachment  of  the  21st  Illi- 
nois came  from  Mexico  and  guarded  a  railroad  train  which  wits 
to  move  us.  They  had  a  skirmish  on  the  way  down,  without  any- 
thing very  serious  occurring  except  two  or  three  breakdowns  and 
smashups  on  the  road.  We  passed  through  some  splendid  looking 
country  on  the  route,  the  surface  of  the  country  being  even  and 


21  [1861 

mostly  prairie.      The  country  about  Mexico    is  very  level,    soil 
sancty,  with  a  great  scarcity  of  water  and  timber. 

Aii; 

We  found  the  21st  Illinois  Regiment  Volunteer  Infantry  hi'iv, 
commanded  by  Colonel  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  afterward  the  great  hero 
of  the  War.  There  was  a  sharp  strife  between  Colonels  Turner 
and  Grant  as  to  which  outranked.  Turner  claimed  superiority  on 
account  of  the  date  of  commission.  Grant  claimed  it  on  account 
of  having  belonged  to  the  regular  army,  and  with  his  usual  perti- 
nacity and  Pope's  order,  gained  his  point  and  assumed  command  of 
the  camp.  The  first  order  he  issued  was  for  a  detail  from  the  15th 
to  clean  up  his  regiment's  quarters.  It  was  needed  bad  enough, 
but  the  order  did  not  set  well  on  our  stomachs.  We  had  just  put 
our  own  camp  in  splendid  order  and  we  did  not  feel  like  doing  the 
dirty  work  of  his  regiment.  Luckily  for  us,  Col.  Turner  was  away 
when  the  order  came  and  Lieut. -Col.  Ellis  was  in  command.  He 
took  the  order,  read  it,  his  face  burning  with  anger,  and  sent  word 
to  Col.  Ulysses  S.  Grant  that  his  regiment  did  not  enlist  as  "  nig- 
gers''  to  do  the  dirty  work  of  his  or  any  other  regiment.  This 
emphatic  protest  brought  Col.  Grant  over  at  once.  High  words 
ensued,  which  resulted  in  Lieut. -Col.  Ellis  tendering  Col.  Grant 
his  sword,  but  as  for  obeying  that  order,  he  should  never  do  it. 
I  think  Grant  must  have  admired  his  spirit,  as  he  refused  to  receive 
his  sword  and  did  not  enforce  the  order.  Asa  natural  consequence, 
the  15th  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  did  not  fall  in  love 
with  Grant  then,  but  we  surely  did  with  Lieut. -Col.  Ellis.  We 
saw  the  stuff  he  was  made  of  and  the  bold  stand  he  took  for  his 
own  and  our  rights  and  we  would  have  followed  him  to  the  death 
if  he  had  so  ordered.  It  was  not  until  Grant  had  showed  great 
courage,  indomitable  perseverance  and  lofty  patriotism  that  we 
could  regard  him  with  any  degree  of  favor. 

August  5th. 

Gen.  Pope  established  his  headquarters  near  us  in  a  farm  house. 
Some  of  the  boys  began  to  get  sick  here  on  account  of  the  poor 
water  we  had  to  use,  and  our  rations  grew  no  better  very  fast. 
Some  of  the  boys  positively  asserted  that  our  bacon  had  followed 
us  from  St.  Charles,  and  our  hard- tack  was  harder  still,  and  it  was 
not  surprising  that  we  hailed  the  advent  of  a  barrel  of  flour  with 
great  joy,  although  we  had  no  conveniences  for  cooking  it.  But 
"  necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention,"  so  we  hatched  up  a  plan 


1861]  22 

whereby  we  could  have  pancakes  for  supper,  though  "Biddy," 
the  cook,  would  have  been  horrified  at  the  idea  of  calling  them 
pancakes;  but  in  the  absence  of  anything  better,  we  voted  them 
excellent,  but  the  stomachs  refused  to  sanction  our  decision.  We 
now  concocted  a  plan  to  get  rid  of  our  old  defunct  rations.  The 
boys  gathered  all  of  the  hard-tack  together,  placed  it  upon  the 
back  of  the  bacon  and  proceeded  to  "  drum  them  out  of  camp," 
the  bacon  carrying  the  hard-tack;  but  what  was  our  surprise,  the 
next  morning,  to  find  that  the  bacon  had  come  back  during  the 
night  and  was  highly  indignant  at  the  treatment  it  had  received; 
but  our  hardened  hearts  had  no  sympathy  for  it  and  it  was  again 
expelled,  and  the  last  we  heard  from  it  was  from  a  fellow  who  said 
he  saw  it  wandering  about  the  country  inquiring  for  the  15th. 
(Of  course  my  readers  can  believe  as  much  as  they  choose  about 
the  bacon,  but  it  is  as  true  as  most  of  the  camp  yarns.) 

August  Sth. 

Elon  and  Harvey,  two  of  my  tent  mates,  were  taken  sick  here, 
Harvey  with  very  sore  eyes.  The  dull  monotony  of  camp  life  was 
now  broken  by  an  Order  to  march,  the  left  to  Hannibal,  Missouri, 
and  the  right  to  Fulton,  Missouri.  The  march  was  to  be  per- 
formed afoot,  consequently  all  the  sick  had  to  be  left,  Elon  and 
Harvey  among  the  number.  The  weather  was  extremely  hot  and 
I  came  very  near  "bushing"  the  first  day,  but  being  too  proud  to 
show  symptoms  of  distress,  I  struggled  on,  although  I  could 
scarcely  put  one  foot  before  the  other.  It  was  ten  o'clock  that 
night  before  we  went  into  camp,  and  I  was  about  used  up  and 
immediately  retired,  supperless  and  sick.  We  had  marched  twenty 
miles  since  noon.  Our  camp  was  situated  near  where  was  fought 
one  of  the  first  battles  in  Missouri  for  the  Union,  and  there  was 
great  danger  of  being  attacked  during  the  night,  and  here  the 
noble  qualities  of  Major  Goddard,  who  was  in  command,  were 
shown.  He  kept  a  tireless  viligance  over  the  camp  all  night  and 
allowed  his  tired  soldiers  rest,  and  from  that  time  forward  Major 
Goddard  had  a  firm  hold  of  the  affections  on  the  men  under  his 
command.  We  slept  on  our  arms  that  night.  Armed  traitors 
were  lurking  around  us,  ready  to  take  the  least  advantage.  We 
were  on  the  move  before  daylight  the  next  morning.  I  was  feeling 
some  better  but  I  had  no  appetite  for  breakfast.  We  had  fifteen 
miles  to  march  and  we  made  it  before  ten  o'clock.  The  different 
companies  got  on  a  strife  to  see  which  could  out-march.  Some  of 


23  .  [1861 

the  time  we  made  four  miles  per  hour.     We  halted  at  one  of  the 
churches  in  Fulton  and  rested.      A  collection  was  taken  up  to  pro- 
cure a  dinner,  and  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  soon  sitting  down 
to  a  nice,  warm  meal.     My  appetite  had  now  returned  and  I  ate 
heartily  and  felt  much  refreshed.       On  our  march  we  passed  a 
splendid  plantation  owned  by  one  Dr.  Rodman.     Our  flag  was 
floating  from  every  window.      He  was  very  demonstrative  in  his 
patriotism.      We  halted  here  a  few  moments  to  rest.      He  said  he 
had  converted  his  plantation  into  a  fortress  and  put  arms  into  the 
hands  of  his  negroes,  being  resolved  to  defend  himself  to  the  last 
if  attacked  by  guerrillas  or  rebels.     He  stated  that  his  life  and 
preperty  had  been  threatened   by  rebels  and  he  counted  on  the 
fidelity  of  his  slaves,  of  whom  he  had  over  two  hundred,  to  defend 
him.     I  thought  that  his  profession  of  Union  sentiments  were  too 
profuse  to  be  believed.     I  believe  he  was  a  rank  rebel  and  adopted 
this  ruse  to  protect  his  property.     He  had  a  large  peach  orchard 
loaded  with  delicious  fruit  and  he  asked  for  a  safeguard  to  protect 
k.     Toward  evening  we  went  into  camp  one-half  mile  west  of  the 
city  on  the  fair  grounds.      Fulton  is  a  splendid  looking  village 
containing  several  thousand  inhabitants.     Some  of  the  finest  build- 
ings in  the  State  are  located  here.     Among  them  were  the  State 
Lunatic   Asylum    and    several    colleges.      The   president   of    the 
asylum  sent  an  invitation  for  the  battalion  to  visit  the  institution 
— an  invitation  which  we  gladly  accepted.     We  were  conducted 
all  through  the  institution  and  the  principles  upon  which  it  was 
conducted  explained.      There  were  about  two  hundred  patients  in 
it  at  the  time.     The  grounds  around  the  institution  were  beauti- 
fully  laid  out  and  the  patients,  under  careful  survelliance,  were 
allowed  to  walk  around  them  in  pleasant  weather.     Our  situation 
here  was  a  dangerous  one.      We  had  only  four  hundred  men  and 
were  isolated  from  any  other  command,  and  out  of  reach  of  assist- 
ance if  overpowered,  in  an  enemy's  country,  with  spies  lurking  all 
around  us.     There  was  nothing  to  prevent  a  large   force   from 
defeating  us  except  the  indomitable  vigilance  of  our  commander, 
Major  Goddard.     We  were  always  on  the  alert  and  always  pre- 
pared for  emergencies  and  our  pickets  were  well  posted  and  posi- 
tions changed  every  night,  and  spies  and  scouts  sent  out  to  give  us 
notice    of    approaching    danger.      Our   position    was   admirably 
situated  for  defensive  operations.     A  river  encircled  us  on  two 
sides,  a  swamp  on  a  third,  and  a  high  and  tight  board  fence  sur- 
rounded the  camp,  affording  us  protection  from  bullets. 


1861J 


August  12th. 


We  were  alarmed  one  night  by  a  report  that  a  party  of  rebels 
were  tearing  down  our  flag  on  the  court  house.     Company  D  was 
called  upon  to  go  up  and  see  what  the  matter  was.  This  was  about 
ten  o'clock  p.  M.,  after  we  had  all  retired.     It  was  amusing  to 
witness  the  effect  of  the  announcement  upon  some  of  the  men.   We 
were  ordered  to  arm  and  fall  in  line  as  quickly  as  possible.     Some 
were  taken  suddenly  ill — one  boy  was  chilly,  another  was  lame, 
and  one  great  over-grown  booby  wanted  to  be  excused  on  account 
of  having  the  "belly-ache."     We  could   hear  the  chattering  of 
teeth  very  audibly.     We  expected  a  fight.     It  was  our  first  call. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  :it  that  some  should  feel  a  little  shaky. 
The  inmates  of  tent  No.  6  were  on  time  and  in  line  promptly. 
James  sprung  out  like  a  tiger  panting  for  his  prey.     In  the  con- 
fusion one  of  our  guns  was  found  missing.     It  happened  to  be 
James'.     It  had  slid  out  of  the  back  of  the  tent.     James  stormed 
around,  accusing  each  one  of  us  of  having  taken  his  gun,  said  we 
were  so  excited  we  did  not  know  what  we  were  about.     He  finally 
found  it  and  we  all  had  a  good  laugh  over  it.  The  alarm  proved  to 
be  a  false  one.     On  our  way  up  we  met  two  delinquents  of  Com- 
pany D  just  returning  from  town  where  they  had  been  on  a  spree, 
and  they  stated  that  the  alarm  was  caused  by  a  charivari  party 
which  was  paying  their  respects  to  a  newly  married  couple.    With 
a  hearty  laugh,  we  returned  to  camp  stripped  of  our  imaginary 
laurels,  and  the  delinquents  of  Company  D  were  put  to  extra  duty 
for  violating  orders.     The   sick,   chilly  and  lame   ones  suffered 
unmercifully  by  being  the  butt  of  all  jokes  cracked  in  the  battalion. 
Thus  our  time  was  passed  in  continual  alarms,  but  nothing  very 
serious  happened.     One  night  one  of  the  best  soldiers  in  the  com- 
pany was  found  sleeping  on  his  post.    He  had  his  trial.    The  com- 
pany was  very  much  concerned  about  it.     We  knew  the  penalty 
was  death.     He  was  a  general  favorite  and  we  could  not  bear  the 
thoughts  of  his  execution.     It  being  the  first  offense  and  the  char- 

O  cj 

acter  of  the  soldier  saved  him.  Had  anyone  else  had  the  dealing 
of  his  case,  he  would  not  have  escaped  as  he  did.  It  was  our 
custom  every  evening  to  go  out  on  the  green  near  the  city  and 
have  dress  parade.  On  such  occasions  the  citizens  of  the  town  all 
flocked  to  see  our  performance.  I  believe  I  never  saw  so  many 
homely  ladies  together  as  I  did  on  these  occasions.  The  darkies 
were  especially  delighted  at  our  performances  and  we  could  see  a 


25  [1861 

broad  grin  on  almost  every  face.  About  the  1 2th  of  August  we 
received  an  order  to  march.  A  squad  of  men  was  sent  out  to  press 
teams  to  move  our  baggage,  and  early  the  next  morning  we  were  on 
the  march.  Our  destination  was  St.  Aubert  on  the  Missouri  river, 
forty  miles  from  Fulton.  We  marched  twenty-five  miles  the  first  day 
and  I  was  quite  used  up  when  I  got  into  camp.  I  could  not  stand 
the  hot  weather. 

August  13th. 

We  resumed  the  march  early  the  next  morning.  The  day  was 
very  hot.  Before  two  hours  had  elapsed,  I  had  a  touch  of  a  sun- 
stroke and  I  had  to  "wilt."  I  was  placed  in  a  wagon.  One  of  our 
officers  had  his  wife  along  and  she  pillowed  my  head  in  her  lap. 
I  thought  if  this  was  the  treatment  for  sunstroke,  I  would  not 
object  to  being  struck  a  little  every  day,  but  Dr.  Buck  soon  came 
around  and  gave  me  some  brandy  and  water  which  revived  me  a 
great  deal.  We  arrived  at  St.  Aubert  about  nine  o'clock  the  next 
morning,  having  marched  fifteen  miles  in  four  hours.  Some  of  the 
boys  were  now  guilty  of  great  imprudence  by  going  into  the  river 
when  their  blood  was  so  hot.  Rollin  Mallory  and  Sidney  Babcock 
swam  across  the  river  and  poor  Sid  paid  the  penalty  with  his  life 
soon  after.  He  was  taken  sick  and  died  at  Keokuk,  la.  The 
regiment  remained  here  over  night.  I  recovered  sufficiently  to  be 
able  to  go  on  picket.  A  band  of  rebels  were  hovering  around,  but 
finding  us  well  prepared,  did  not  venture  to  attack  us.  Just  across 
the  river  from  where  we  were,  the  Home  Guard  had  had  a  brush 
with  the  rebels  just  a  few  days  before. 

August  14th. 

This  morning  a  steamer  hauled  up  and  we  embarked  on  it  and 
we  were  soon  borne  on  the  sluggish  current  of  the  Missouri 
towards  St.  Louis.  The  channel  of  this  river  is  so  changeable 
that  it  requires  a  most  skillful  pilot  to  run.  The  sand  bars  change 
every  few  days.  We  soon  ran  afoul  of  one  of  them,  but  we  soon 
succeeded  in  sparring  off.  Soon  after  we  ran  into  a  snag  which 
detained  us  for  several  hours.  The  navigation  of  the  Missouri 
river  is  exceedingly  difficult  and  at  times  dangerous.  The  next 
day  we  passed  St.  Louis  and  landed  twelve  miles  below  at  Jeffer- 
son Barracks,  where  we  found  the  left  wing  of  the  regiment  waiting 
for  us.  The  sick  were  also  here.  Elon  bad  nearly  got  well,  but 
Harvey's  eyes  were  so  bad  that  he  was  discharged,  as  were  also 
John  Burst  and  Charlie  Pierce.  We  had  not  fairly  got  settled  in 

2 


1861]  20 

camp  before  an  order  came  for  us  to  again  take  the  transport  and 
proceed  to  St.  Louis.  Tidings  of  the  bloody  battle  of  Wilson 
Creek  began  to  reach  us  and  we  were  hastened  forward  to  re- 
inforce that  gallant  little  army  contending  against  such  fearful 
odds.  Soon  the  news  of  the  death  of  the  brave  Lyons  reached  us 
and  that  his  shattered  little  army  under  Sigel  was  retreating. 
On  arriving  at  St.  Louis,  I  was  again  detailed  to  help  transfer  the 
baggage  to  the  cars  and  it  was  midnight  before  our  task  was  done. 
In  the  meantime,  the  boys  had  been  behaving  badly  and  having 
lots  of  fun.  They  had  been  deprived  of  their  dinner  and  supper 
and  as  they  were  passing  along  Market  St.  and  noticed  its  richly 
laden  viands,  etc.,  they  pitched  in  and  helped  themselves,  much 
to  the  indignation  of  the  proprietors  and  the  amusement  of  the 
bystanders.  While  they  were  trying  to  catch  one  thief,  a  dozen 
would  steal  still  more.  The  police,  from  some  unknown  cause,  did 
not  interfere;  whether  they  enjoyed  the  fun  or  were  afraid,  still 
remains  a  mystery.  Most  of  the  boys  got  their  fill.  I  was  kindly 
remembered.  I  was  too  hungry  to  inquire  how  they  got  it.  The 
old  adage  that  "the  partaker  is  equally  guilty  with  the  thief 
induced  me  to  keep  silent,  although  I  must  say  that  their  conduct 
was  reprehensible,  still  they  had  some  excuse  for  their  actions. 
The  train  left  at  one  o'clock  A.  M.,  and  the  next  morning  we 
arrived  in  camp  at  Rolla  (August  18th). 


27  [1861 


CHAPTER  V. 


August  20th. 


Holla  at  this  time  was  the  terminus  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  It 
contained  but  two  or  three  hundred  inhabitants.  The  soil  is 
barren,  fruit  being  the  chief  article  of  culture.  We  found  in  camp 
here  the  13th  Illinois  Volunteer  Infantry  (Col.  Wyman).  My 
friend,  J.  M.  Eddy,  was  in  this  regiment  and  he  soon  came  over 
to  see  me.  Maj.-Gen.  John  C.  Fremont  was  in  command  of  the 
Western  Department  and  he  now  advanced  out  of  his  own  pocket 
$10.00  to  each  man  on  our  wages,  an  act  of  generosity  on  his  part 
which  we  never  forgot.  We  had  not  been  in  camp  but  a  few 
days  before  Sigel's  brave  and  shattered  army  came  straggling  in. 
It  was  sorrowful  to  look  at  them.  Some  were  sorely  wounded 
and  it  must  have  been  very  painful  for  them  to  march,  but  they 
seemed  to  be  cheerful,  though  all  looked  nearly  worn  out.  Their 
clothes  were  in  tatters.  Footsore  and  weary,  they  struggled  on. 
Brave  men!  they  deserved  a  better  fate.  The  most  of  these 
soldiers'  time  (three  months)  had  expired  before  the  battle,  but 
rather  than  leave  with  a  foe  at  their  backs  without  punishing  them, 
they  voluntarily  went  into  the  fight,  and  on  that  bloody  field  many 
of  them  voluntarily  gave  up  their  lives.  Our  country  cannot 
appreciate  too  highly  such  noble  sacrifice  and  devotion  to  our  flag. 
We  here  became  associated  with  the  14th  Illinois  Volunteer  In- 
fantry and  the  two  regiments  remained  in  the  same  brigade  during 
the  entire  war,  and  a  very  cordial  feeling  was  engendered  between 
the  two  regiments,  which  was  never  impaired.  They  regarded  each 
other  as  brothers.  In  the  field,  on  the  march,  in  the  fight,  in  vic- 
tory or  defeat,  they  were  ever  by  our  side.  We  now  had  another 
re-organization  in  our  cooking  department  by  being  divided  off 
into  five  messes.  A  cook  was  appointed  for  each  mess,  who  was 
excused  from  all  camp  duties.  This  arrangement  gave  general 
satisfaction  and  was  ever  after  continued. 

August  28th. 

We  were  now  set  to  work  building  forts  and  fortifications,  and 
every  man  not  on  the  sick  list  was  on  duty  every  other  day.  The 
men  had  their  choice  of  duty,  that  is,  fatigue  or  guard  duty.  I 


1861]  28 

chose  the  latter.  Those  that  chose  the  former  were  lured  by  the 
prospect  of  the  ration  of  whisky  and  extra  pay.  I  was  philosopher 
enough  to  know  that  Uncle  Sam  would  not  pay  double  for  men 
doing  what  it  was  their  duty  to  do.  They  were  all  disappointed 
in  receiving  extra  pay. 

Soon  several  strong  forts  were  built  with  heavy  abattis  to  each, 
with  rifle  pits  connecting  the  forts.  As  soon  as  this  work  was 
done,  we  were  set  to  work  clearing  up  a  drill  and  parade  ground, 
after  which  we  had  company  and  battalion  drill  daily.  Every 
man  not  on  duty,  who  was  not  excused,  had  to  be  at  these  drills. 
Our  duty  was  very  heavy.  We  were  made  to  follow  out  strictly 
the  army  regulations,  which  were  read  to  us  one  hour  every  Sun- 
day so  that  we  might  be  posted.  Sickness  now  began  to  prevail 
to  an  alarming  extent.  Our  hospitals  were  overflowing.  Over 
two  hundred  were  on  the  sick  list  in  our  regiment  alone  at  one 
time  and  deaths  were  quite  frequent,  and  we  soon  became  accus- 
tomed to  the  slow  and  solemn  dirge  of  the  soldier's  obsequies. 
Elon  began  to  get  worse  and  was  getting  quite  homesick.  It  was 
evident  that  he  would  not  live  long  if  he  remained  in  the  army,  so 
the  doctor  concluded  to  discharge  him.  About  one  dozen  from 
our  company  were  discharged  from  this  camp,  and  we  also  had 
three  or  four  deaths.  Up  to  the  present  time  my  health  had  been 
pretty  good,  but  one  day  a  peddler  came  into  camp  who  had  pies 
and  cider  for  sale,  and  James  and  I  bought  some.  Soon  after  I 
was  taken  violently  ill,  but  a  thorough  purging  set  me  on  my  feet 
again.  I  stayed  in  the  hospital  only  one  night.  In  the  morning, 
before  daylight,  I  ran  away.  James  soon  commenced  joking  me 
about  the  cider  and  pie — about  my  not  being  able  to  stand  much. 
In  a  few  days  he  was  taken  sick,  never  more  to  rise  until  his  brave 
spirit  soared  to  its  rest.  Soon  after  James  was  taken  sick,  Elon 
left,  but  James  was  not  considered  dangerous  then,  and  we  thought 
that  he  was  on  the  gain. 

September  10th. 

Up  to  this  time,  James  had  remained  in  our  tent,  as  the  hospi- 
tal was  somewhat  crowded,  but  he  had  gotten  so  bad  that  it  was 
necessary  to  have  him  removed  where  he  could  be  more  quiet  and 
o-et  more  care.  I  had  spoken  to  Dr.  McKim,  the  surgeon,  several 
times  about  it,  but  he  kept  putting  it  off.  I  finally  determined 
that  I  would  not  be  put  off  any  longer,  and  I  importuned  the  doc- 
tor so  much  that  he  got  angry  and  gave  me  a  terrible  raking, 


29  [1861 

interspersed  with  a  variety  of  choice  oaths.  I  waited  until  he  had 
spent  his  wrath  and  then  told  him  that  I  did  not  feel  guilty  of  any- 
thing wrong  in  this  matter.  It  was  only  my  intense  anxiety  for 
my  cousin  that  induced  me  to  endeavor  to  procure  him  better 
treatment  and  I  supposed  that  it  was  his  duty  as  surgeon  of  the 
regiment  to  see  that  the  sick  were  well  cared  for.  He  cooled  down 
and  prepared  a  place  for  him  and  had  James  removed.  Ever  after 
Dr.  McKim  was  a  friend  to  me.  He  did  all  that  he  could  to  save 
James,  but  human  aid  was  unavailing.  While  not  on  duty,  I  was 
by  his  bedside.  He  was  not  content  to  have  me  away  a  moment. 
I  once  began  to  flatter  myself  that  he  would  get  well,  but  one  day 
while  I  was  on  duty,  a  summons  came  for  me  from  Dr.  McKim  to 
repair  immediately  to  the  bedside  of  James.  I  was  released  from 
duty  and  thereafter  remained  with  James  as  long  as  he  lived.  I 
found  him  suffering  a  terrible  relapse  and  in  the  agonies  of  a  con- 
gestive chill.  He  did  not  know  me  and  was  raving  terribly. 
Hope  sank  within  me  now.  I  knew  that  I  must  lose  one  of  my 
nearest  and  dearest  friends.  A  brother's  love  could  not  have  been 
greater  than  that  I  bore  for  James,  and  I  know  that  that  love  was 
reciprocated.  The  closest  confidence  existed  between  us.  In  his 
wild  delirium  he  would  throw  his  arms  around  my  neck  and  call 
me  "brother."  All  that  affection  could  prompt  and  skill  perform, 
were  done  to  save  him.  On  the  18th  of  September,  at  two  o'clock 
A.  M.,  he  breathed  his  last,  under  the  influence  of  ether.  It  was  a 
sad  blow  to  his  kindred  and  friends.  I  felt  desolate  indeed  when 
the  grave  closed  over  his  inanimate  form.  Missouri's  soil  covers 
the  form  of  no  nobler  man  than  he.  A  truer  patriot  never 
breathed.  He  was  honest,  upright,  brave  and  true.  His  death 
left  a  void  in  many  an  aching  heart.  He  was  a  general  favorite 
with  all  the  company.  None  knew  him  but  to  respect  him.  Thus 
three  of  my  relatives  and  friends  had  left  me,  and  this  last  blow 
was  hard  to  hear.  Sleep  on,  brave  boy,  in  peace!  In  a  better 
clime  I  hope  to  meet  you. 

September  20th. 

Rumors  of  an  attack  now  became  rife  in  camp.  Price  and 
McCulloch  were  reported  to  be  near  with  a  large  army.  This  just 
served  to  keep  up  excitement  enough  to  destroy  the  ennui  of  army 
life.  Maj.-Gen.  Hunter  was  in  command  of  the  post  now.  He 
received  a  wound  at  the  battle  of  Bull  Run.  We  made  several 
forced  marches  out  to  meet  the  enemy,  but  each  time  failed  to 


1861]  30 

bring  them  to  an  engagement ;  as  soon  as  our  backs  were 
turned,  they  would  commence  bushwhacking.  A  great  many  of 
the  citizens  adopted  the  role  of  being  friends  to  our  face  and  foes 
to  our  back. 

September  22d. 

A  difficulty  occurring  at  this  time  between  Lieut.  Curtis  and 
Capt.  Wayne,  was  settled  by  the  former  resigning.  We  now  pre- 
pared for  a  long  campaign.  We  were  furnished  with  fifteen  six- 
mule  teams,  and  well  supplied  with  clothing,  etc.  We  were 
expecting  orders  to  move  every  day. 

.  September  23d. 

On  the  2Sd  of  September  we  received  twenty-one  recruits  for 
Company  D.  Amongst  them  were  some  of  my  personal  friends 
and  acquaintances,  namely: — Samuel  Cooper,  Milton  Mackey  and 
Charlie  Mitchell.  Milton  was  not  eighteen  years  old  yet,  but  was 
full  of  life  and  spirit,  endowed  with  more  than  ordinary  intellect, 
and  an  ardent  patriot.  He  soon  became  a  favorite  in  the  company. 
Poor  boy,  he,  too,  met  a  sad  fate. 

September  24th. 

The  next  day  after  the  arrival  of  the  recruits,  we  were  ordered 
to  march  and  we  considered  this  a  good  time  to  break  in  the 
recruits,  so  we  started  off  at  a  rapid  pace,  but  about  one  p.  M. 
we  received  orders  to  counter-march,  and  our  march  back  was 
more  rapid  than  when  we  started  out.  Some  of  the  recruits  stood 
it  bravely,  but  some  whined  most  piteously.  Sam,  Milton  and 
Charlie  stood  it  as  well  as  any  of  them.  As  for  me,  I  was  about 
"petered  out,''  but  I  kept  it  to  myself.  In  our  efforts  to  "bush" 
the  recruits,  we  had  nearly  "bushed"  ourselves.  We  supposed 
that  we  had  started  out  for  Springfield,  Missouri,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  from  Rolla.  We  went  as  far  as  the  Gasconade  river 
and  received  orders  to  return.  Whether  it  was  a  ruse  to  blind  the 
enemy  as  to  our  movements  or  the  enemy  was  too  strong  for  us, 
we  have  never  yet  learned. 

October  1st. 

We  now  enjoyed  over  a  week's  repose  in  camp,  but  we  knew 
we  would  have  to  move  soon.  It  was  interesting  when  the  mail 
hour  arrived  to  witness  the  eagerness  of  the  boys  to  receive  mail. 
It  was  the  one  great  joy  of  camp  life  to  receive  kind  and  encourag- 
ing letters  from  our  friends.  They  were  as  dove-winged 
messengers  spreading  a  halo  of  light  and  joy  over  the  hearts  and 


31  [1861 

minds  of  the  soldiers.  I  considered  myself  blessed  above  the  most 
of  my  fellow  soldiers  by  having  such  true  and  noble  sisters  to  feed 
my  soul  with  the  light  and  love  of  pure  and  holy  affection.  Those 
angel  messengers  called  out  and  kept  bright  all  that  was  good  and 
true  within  me.  Their  trusting  confidence  and  love  were  a  shield 
and  safeguard  from  all  temptations.  To  them  I  owe  more  than  I 
can  ever  repay.  I  could  not  violate  the  confidence  they  reposed  in 
me,  and  ever  meet  them  again  as  a  perjured  wretch.  When 
temptation  assailed  me,  like  a  flash  of  heavenly  light  came  the 
holy  tie  of  confidence  and  love  to  protect  me.  When  weary  and 
sick,  the  ever -gentle,  silent,  potent  and  powerful  voice  of  sympathy 
in  those  welcome  missives  cheered  and  sustained  me,  and  through 
those  four  years  of  dreadful  scenes  of  carnage  and  battle,  the  same 
pure  and  steadfast  devotion  was  a  beacon  light  to  cheer  me  on  and 
comfort  me.  Other  friends,  too,  I  had,  whose  sympathy  and  confi- 
dence I  felt,  a  parent's  love,  a  brother's  true  devotion,  but  to  my 
sisters  will  I  give  the  highest  honors.  In  those  dark  and  trying 
times,  when  all  else  seemed  to  fail  me,  theirs  alone  was  the  hand 
to  lead  me  on. 

October  4th. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  Zine's  birthday,  we  took  the  cars  at 
Rolla,  bound  for  Jefferson  City,  where  we  arrived  the  next  day. 

October  5th. 

It  rained  all  night  and  continued  to  rain  all  day.  We  were  in 
open  cars  and  got  thoroughly  drenched.  When  we  arrived  at 
Jefferson  City,  we  were  ordered  to  keep  on  the  train  in  the  pelting 
storm  until  further  orders,  but  those  orders  came  right  speedily. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Ellis  defied  the  authority  of  the  commander  of 
the  post  and  told  his  men  to  seek  shelter,  which  they  were  not  slow 
in  doing.  Colonel  Ellis  was  immediately  put  under  arrest,  and 
there  was  a  fair  prospect  for  a  general  row.  The  boys  were 
determined  to  see  Ellis  all  right  if  they  had  to  fight  for  him,  but 
he  was  soon  released  and  marched  us  up  to  the  State  Capitol, 
within  whose  walls  we  took  shelter.  Our  company  took  up  their 
quarters  in  the  Senate  Chamber,  where  only  a  few  months  before 
the  traitor  Governor  of  Missouri,  Jackson,  and  his  confederates, 
were  plotting  treason  and  endeavoring  to  drag  Missouri  into  the 
whirlpool  of  secession.  On  the  walls  hung  life-sized  portraits  of 
Benton  and  Jackson.  Though  dumb,  they  seemed  to  speak  to  us 
in  burning  words  of  eloquence  to  drive  the  traitorous  foe  from  the 


1861]  32 

soil  of  Missouri.  The  streets  of  the  city  wore  a  desolate  aspect. 
War's  rude  finger  had  left  its  mark.  Traitors  and  patriots  met  on 
the  street  with  set  teeth  and  blazing  eyes,  brother  against  brother 
and  father  against  son.  Missouri  at  this  time  was  in  a  terrible 
state  of  anarchy.  Her  traitorous  governor  and  the  hoary  headed 
Price  were  desolating  her  soil  with  a  large  army,  and  the  true  and 
faithful  were  vainly  contending  with  these  tyrant  monsters. 

Back  and  forth  over  the  beautiful  plains  of  Missouri,  the  bloody 
tide  of  war  swept,  destroying  everything  in  its  path  and  reddening 
its  soil  with  the  life-blood  of  the  noblest  in  the  land;  but  the  day 
of  her  deliverance  came  and  fair  Missouri  is  now  a  ransomed  and 
regenerated  State.  The  next  day  an  order  came  for  us  to  continue 
on  as  far  as  Tipton,  at  which  place  we  arrived  the  same  day  and 
went  into  camp  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town.  Tipton  is  a  nice 
village,  containing  one  thousand  inhabitants,  surrounded  by  as 
splendid  a  country  as  the  eye  ever  looked  upon.  Here  Fremont's 
grand  army  was  concentrating  preparatory  to  that  grand  cam- 
paign which  was  to  sweep  the  rebel  horde  from  Missouri,  but 
strange  to  say,  Fremont  permitted  Price  and  his  army  which  had 
been  up  to  Lexington  and  captured  Mulligan  and  his  command,  to 
pass  back  across  his  flank  without  molesting  him.  While  we  were 
camped  here,  we  received  a  visit  from  the  Secretary  of  War — 
Cameron.  The  weather  soon  set  in  very  rainy  and  we  were  in 
danger  of  being  flooded.  In  this  emergency,  the  boys  commenced 
tearing  down  several  old  buildings  near  camp  to  get  lumber  to 
protect  us  from  the  wet,  but  our  proceedings  were  summarily 
stopped  by  an  order  from  Colonel  Turner,  who  declared  we  should 
•pay  for  every  board  and  stick  we  had  taken;  but  Colonel  Ellis  was 
standing  by  and  he  gave  the  boys  one  of  his  peculiar  winks  and 
then  we  knew  we  had  a  strong  advocate  in  our  behalf.  General 
Fremont  soon  issued  an  order  for  us  to  go  to  the  lumber  yard  and 
get  what  lumber  was  necessary  to  build  floors  in  our  tents,  but  we 
did  not  stay  long  to  enjoy  it. 

October  10th. 

We  were  now  paid  two  months'  wages,  less  the  $10. 00  received 
from  General  Fremont,  and  moved  camp  three  miles  south  of  town 
to  Camp  Hunter.  We  now  commenced  preparations  to  march. 
The  army  was  divided  into  three  divisions.  General  Hunter  com- 
manded the  first,  McKinstry  the  second  and  General  Asboth  the 
third.  The  15th  was  in  the  first  brigade,  Grand  Army  of  the  West. 


33 

Lieut. -Col.  Ellis  now  put  us  through  a  very  thorough  course  of 
drilling  and  we  soon  had  the  name  of  being  one  of  the  best  drilled 
regiments  in  the  army.  Col.  Turner  lacked  the  necessary  qualifi- 
cations for  drill-master,  and  he  made  bungling  work  whenever  he 
attempted  to  drill  the  regiment,  but  he  was  a  strict  disciplinarian 
— so  strict  that  he  got  the  ill-will  of  most  of  his  men — and  he  soon 
became  unpopular.  He  felt  it  and  kept  aloof  from  the  regiment  a 
great  deal.  I  came  across  Mark  Whitney  here.  He  belonged  to 
the  Douglas  brigade,  42d  Illinois  Volunteers. 

October  20th. 

The  day  before  marching  the  company  bought  an  ox-team  to 
carry  our  knapsacks.  It  only  cost  us  a  dollar  and  a  quarter  apiece 
and  it  saved  us  an  immense  amount  of  fatigue. 

October  21st. 

Finally  the  order  crime  to  break  up  camp.  On  the  21st  the 
army  was  put  in  motion  in  pursuit  of  Price  and  his  army.  It 
proved  to  be  a  long,  exciting  and  fruitless  march.  Some  days  he 
was  reported  only  a  day's  march  ahead  of  us  and  we  would  press 
on  with  renewed  vigor  in  hopes  of  overtaking  him,  but  Price  and 
his  army  proved  to  be  like  the  Dutchman's  floa — "  When  you  put 
your  finger  where  he  was,  he  wasn't  there." 

October  22d. 

The  first  night  we  camped  near  Versailles,  having  made  but 
fifteen  miles.  The  army  was  in  splendid  spirits.  The  country 
looked  splendid  and  the  weather  was  delightful.  The  cool,  bracing 
breezes  of  October  seemed  to  put  life  in  every  limb. 

October  23d. 

The  next  morning  we  were  early  on  the  move  ;  marched 
twenty  miles,  and  on  the  23d  we  camped  on  the  south  side  of  the 
Osage  opposite  the  ruined  city  of  Warsaw.  We  laid  over  here 
one  day — for  what  purpose  I  do  not  know.  Price  was 
reported  (  nly  twenty-five  miles  off.  We  gave  him  an  opportanity 
to  disband  that  portion  of  his  army  who  lived  in  the  country 
through  which  he  passed  and  rest  the  remainder.  Then  we 
started  after  him  again.  We  got  as  far  as  Mt.  Au  Revoir  and 
halted  again.  We  were  pressing  Price  too  hard.  It  would  never 
do.  We  must  wait  and  let  him  get  farther  ahead.  So  we  waited 
a  \veek. 

October  30th. 

While  we  were  in  camp  at  Mt.  Au  Revoir,  numerous  peddlers 


1861]  M 

frequented  our  camp,  peddling  apples,  peaches,  etc.,  and  we  had 
good  reasons  for  believing  that  these  very  peddlers  were  a  portion 
of  the  rebel  army,  and  as  these  came  to  their  homes,  they  were 
permitted  to  remain,  attend  to  their  farms,  gather  in  their  harvest, 
etc.,  and  at  a  call  from  Price,  again  take  the  field.  It  was  a  very 
common  gight  to  see  three  or  four  able-bodied  young  men  at  the 
different  farm  houses  along  the  route,  eyeing  us  with  a  look  of 
triumph.  They  all  professed  to  be  peaceful  citizens  and  perfectly 
neutral.  I  never  had  a  doubt  in  my  own  mind  but  what  Price 
disbanded  a  large  part  of  his  army  in  this  way.  He  knew  perfectly 
well  that  he  could  not  cope  with  us  in  battle  and  so  he  adopted 
that  plan  as  the  most  feasible  way  of  saving  his  army  and  annoy- 
ing us.  He  succeeded  but  too  well. 

November  1st. 

One  day  one  of  these  neutral  rebs  came  into  camp  with  a  load 
of  apples  to  sell.  He  inadvertently  betrayed  his  sentiments  and, 
with  the  permission  of  Col.  Ellis,  the  boys  relieved  him  of  his 
apples  in  less  time  than  it  takes  me  to  write  it.  Rollin  and  Milton, 
who  were  always  on  hand  at  such  a  time,  managed  to  secure  two 
bushels  fot  tent  No.  6.  The  fellow  was  lucky  in  getting  off  as 
well  as  he  did.  We  soon  resumed  our  march.  We  left  here  all 
the  surplus  baggage  that  could  be  spared  and  our  sick  with  a 
guard  to  protect  them.  We  then  stripped  ourselves  for  a  hard 
march,  making  from  twenty  to  thirty  miles  per  day.  We  had  a 
splendid  country  to  march  through.  It  was  well  watered  and 
timbered.  Gen.  Hunter  was  an  admirable  officer  to  conduct  a 
march.  Everything  was  as  orderly  as  clockwork.  We  halted  an 
hour  for  dinner  and  always  went  into  camp  in  time  to  get  our 
supper  before  dark,  and  were  on  the  move  by  daylight  in  the 
morning.  The  last  day  but  one  before  reaching  Springfield,  we 
had  marched  twenty-seven  miles  and  had  just  eaten  our  supper  and 
were  preparing  to  lie  down  when  an  order  came  for  us  to  reach 
Springfield  by  daylight  if  possible,  as  a  battle  was  expected  the 
next  day. 

November  2d. 

The  other  divisions  had  taken  different  routes  and  reached 
Springfield  first.  We  had  twenty-seven  miles  to  go  yet,  but  the 
roads  were  so  muddy  and  the  country  so  rough  that  it  was  long 
past  daylight  before  our  division  came  in  sight  of  the  city,  and 
then  only  about  one-third  of  the  command  came  in  together.  The 


35  [1861 

rest  were  worn  out  for  want  of  sleep  and  rest  and  stopped  on  the 
road.  By  using  extra  exertion,  I  managed  to  keep  my  accustomed 
place  in  the  front  file.  Indeed,  in  all  that  march  of  three  hundred 
miles,  I  was  not  away  from  my  position  longer  than  ten  minutes 
at  a  time,  and  then  only  when  necessity  required  it,  but  that  night 
1  was  nearly  fagged  out.  We  had  marched  nearly  sixty  miles 
without  sleep  and  very  little  rest,  and  to  our  mortification  there 
was  no  prospect  of  a  battle  at  that  time.  There  was  no  enemy  of 
any  considerable  force  within  forty  miles  of  us.  We  kept  receiv- 
ing orders  to  hurry  up.  Rumors  came  of  a  battle  in  progress. 
The  artillery  went  thundering  past  us  at  a  killing  rate  to  get  to 
the  front,  and  all  for  what?  Because  some  blunderhead  of  an 
officer  had  magnified  rumors  into  realities.  A  few  days  before, 
Fremont's  body  guard,  under  command  of  Maj.  Zagonyi,  had  had  a 
severe  battle  at  Springfield.  With  this  small  body  of  men,  he 
charged  twenty  times  his  number  and  drove  the  enemy  from  town, 
but  over  one-half  of  his  command  perished  in  the  fight.  This 
charge  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  and  bravest  on  record,  and  will 
ever  be  sung  in  song  and  repeated  in  story,  while  chivalry  holds 
its  sway  over  the  passions  of  men.  These  men  had  been  called 
"baby  soldiers,"  and  smarting  under  the  appellation,  they  now  had 
a  chance  to  prove  their  mettle  and  refute  the  charge.  So  with  the 
war  cry  of  "Fremont  and  the  Union"  on  their  lips,  they  went 
forth  to  do  and  to  die.  Gen.  Fremont  was  now  relieved  of  his 
command  and  Gen.  Hunter  assumed  temporary  command.  Spring- 
field was  a  beautiful  young  city,  but  like  many  other  places  in 
Missouri,  war  had  left  its  blighting  marks  there.  The  bloody 
battle  field  of  Wilson's  Creek  was  only  twelve  miles  from  here. 

After  resting  for  a  few  days,  we  were  ordered  to  counter-march, 
thus  leaving  all  southern  Missouri  open  again  to  the  ravages  of  the 
enemy,  besides  having  the  miserable  consciousness  that  our  cam- 
paign had  been  a  miserable  failure.  Our  march  back  was  easy  and 
slow,  making  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles  per  day.  Our  ox  team 
proved  to  be  of  great  good  to  us.  They  kept  up  to  the  train  with- 
out any  difficulty.  The  different  routes  of  the  three  divisions  con- 
verged to  a  point  near  the  Osage  river,  and  there  was  a  strife  to  see 
which  would  get  the  lead.  Col.  Turner,  who  now  commanded  our 
division,  put  his  men  on  a  double-quick  for  a  mile  or  more  and 
secured  it,  but  the  other  divisions  had  sent  teams  ahead  to  block  the 
way  and  detain  us.  Our  regiment  was  in  the  lead.  The  officer 


1861]  36 

of  the  train  refused  to  yield.  Hard  words  were  passed  between 
Goddard,  Ellis  and  the  officers  of  the  train-guard  which  ended  in 
Ellis  ordering  his  men  to  fix  bayonets  and  clear  the  road.  This 
move  had  the  desired  effect  and  we  marched  triumphantly  on.  We 
halted  at  Warsaw  a  few  days  and  then  went  back  to  our  old  Camp 
Hunter. 

We  had  consumed  a  month's  time  in  this  campaign  and  the 
result  was  anything  but  satisfactory  to  us  or  the  country,  but  the 
march  left  the  army  in  splendid  condition.  An  army  is  always 
more  efficient  and  in  better  trim  on  an  ordinary  march  than  when 
lying  idle  in  camp.  The  cool  and  invigorating  atmosphere  of  Mis- 
souri, combined  with  the  beauty  of  its  natural  scenery,  had  a  happy 
influence  upon  the  soldiers,  though  at  times  we  suffered  for  want 
of  food,  but,  as  a  general  thing,  we  had  plenty  to  eat.  We  had  a  con- 
siderable quantity  of  fruit  and  vegetables  and  a  good  deal  of  fresh 
meat.  The  latter  article  the  boys  procured  mostly  by  confiscating 
such  unlucky  porkers  as  happened  to  come  in  their  way.  We  had 
fresh  beef  issued  to  us  two  or  three  times  a  week.  There  was  a  set 
of  grumblers  in  camp  who  were  continually  writing  home  how 
much  we  suffered  for  want  of  food,  keeping  our  friends  in  a  con- 
stant state  of  anxiety.  We  did  not  remain  in  Camp  Hunter  but  a 
few  days,  but  moved  camp  one  and  one-half  miles  north  of  Tipton. 

November  28th. 

We  now  enjoyed  a  short  season  of  rest,  but  winter  had  now  set 
in  and  we  had  to  hustle  ourselves  to  make  our  quarters  comfort- 
able. The  nutting  season  had  now  arrived  and  we  feasted  on  black 
walnuts  and  hickory  nuts  to  our  heart's  content.  Very  strict  orders 
were  issued  by  the  General  against  our  killing  hogs,  but  Col. 
Ellis,  who  was  ever  ready  to  humor  the  boys  when  he  could  with- 
out implicating  himself  or  violating  his  honor,  managed  to  elude 
somewhat  this  order.  He  told  the  boys  not  to  let  him  see  them 
with  fresh  pork.  The  boys  understood  this  hint  and  when  they  got 
fresh  pork  they  kept  out  of  his  sight,  or,  when  he  was  around,  he 
would  persistently  turn  the  other  way,  but  he  had  fresh  meat  for 
supper  nearly  every  night;  but  there  was  one  fellow  in  the  com- 
pany who  "blowed"  on  the  boys  while  the  General  was  in  the 
tent,  and  as  a  reward  for  his  faithfulness  he  was  reduced  to  the 
ranks  (he  was  a  sergeant),  but  the  general  gave  him  a  detail  at 
head-quarters  which  consoled  him  for  the  loss  of  his  position  in  the 
company. 


37  [1861 


CHAPTER  VI. 

December  3d. 

We  were  now  ordered  to  Syracuse,  twelve  miles  west  of  Tipton. 
We  camped  there  a  few  days  and  then  made  another  short  march. 
Then  we  returned  to  Tipton  again.  Indeed,  we  were  on  the  move 
so  much  that  we  did  not  get  an  opportunity  to  wash  our  clothes. 
Just  before  the  last  march  we  had  gone  into  camp  and  supposed 
that  we  were  to  remain  for  awhile,  and  so  we  went  to  washing  our 
dirty  clothes.  We  had  just  fairly  got  at  it  when  an  order  came 
for  us  to  march  immediately.  In  ten  minutes'  time  we  had  our 
half-washed  clothes  wrung  out,  done  up  in  the  tent,  our  knapsacks 
packed  and  were  in  line.  Such  was  the  celerity  we  had  acquired 
in  obeying  orders.  We  were  now  ordered  to  proceed  to  Otterville 
and  go  into  winter  quarters.  A  heavy  detail  had  gone  on  under 
charge  of  Major  Goddard,  to  clear  up  our  quarters,  but  on  arriv- 
ing at  Otterville,  the  Major  found  that  the  commander  of  the  post, 
Brig. -Gen.  Jeff  C.  Davis,  of  Indiana,  had  assigned  to  us  as  winter- 
quarters  the  low,  damp  ground  on  the  Lamine  river,  so  he 
waited  until  the  command  came  up,  two  days  after,  before  he  did 
anything.  When  Ellis  saw  the  ground  selected  for  us,  with  his 
usual  spirit  he  bolted  outright  and  refused  to  take  his  men  into 
this  swamp.  Others  followed  the  lead  of  Ellis,  and  the  consequence 
was  that  they  carried  their  point  and  marched  their  men  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river  and  went  into  camp  on  high,  dry  ground. 

December  10th. 

There  were  about  twenty  thousand  troops  stationed  here.  Our 
brigade  consisted  of  the  24th  Indiana,  Col.  Hovey  ;  26th  Indiana, 
Col.  Wheatley  ;  14th  Illinois,  Col.  John  M.  Palmer,  and  the  15th 
Illinois.  We  were  set  to  work  building  forts  and  fortifications. 
This  place  was  now  used  as  a  depot  of  supplies.  The  weather  soon 
became  intensely  cold,  and  some  of  the  boys  froze  their  hands  and 
feet.  Col.  Hovey  was  in  command  of  the  brigade  and  he  kept  a 
heavy  guard  stationed  around  the  camp.  It  made  no  difference 
what  the  weather  was,  the  guard  had  to  keep  walking  his  beat. 
Col.  Hovey,  being  absent  for  a  few  days,  the  command  devolved 
on  Ellis,  and  one  bitter  cold  and  stormy  night,  he  took  off  the  guard. 


1861]  38 

We  had  pickets  out  and  men  up  to  alarm  the  regiment  in  case  of 
danger,  so  he  was  perfectly  safe  in  doing  so.     When  Col.  Hovey 
returned,  he  had  him  placed  under  arrest  for  taking  off  the  guard. 
Ellis  demanded  a  trial,  plead  his  own  cause  and  was  acquitted. 
This  affair  created  a  sort  of  ill-feeling  between  the  Indiana  and 
Illinois  regiments.     One  day  the  15th  and  24th  got  to  snow-ball- 
ing, and  the  sport  soon  began  to  wax  pretty  warm.     Something 
harder  than  snow  began  to  fly.     The  Lieut. -Col.  of  the  24th  came 
out  to  stop  it  and  was  hit  by  a  chunk  of  ice  and  knocked  down.  A 
general  melee  seemed  inevitable,  but  at  this  moment  Coi.   Ellis 
appeared,  and  the  15th  boys  desisted   and  returned  to  their  quar- 
ters.    The  26th  Indiana  were  a  very  inferior  looking  set  of  men, 
and  they  were  certainly  the  most  filthy  looking  set  of  men  I  ever 
saw.     Some  of  our  boys  caught  one  of  the  dirtiest  of  them  down 
at  the  river  one  day,  and  they  stripped  him  and  soused  him  in.  He 
came  out  looking  more  like  a  white  man.     This  affair  had  a  whole- 
some effect  on  the  whole  regiment.     We  made  frequent  forays  out 
into  the  country  and  confiscated  corn,  etc.,  from  the  rebels  ;  on 
such  occasions  there  was  usually  a  scrambling  to  see  who  would 
go.     Almost  invariably  the  boys  would  come  in  loaded  down  with 
the   best  that  the   country   afforded.     The    weather   became    so 
intensely  cold  now  that  we  had  to  adopt  some  plan  to  keep  from 
freezing.     We  pegged  our  tent  as  close  to  the  ground  as  possible, 
and  covered  over  the  lap  with  dirt.     We  then  built  a  sort  of  fire- 
place at  the  foot,  with  the  chimney  just  outside  the  tent,  and  got  a 
good  bed  of  twigs  and  straw  to  lie  on;  had  the  opening  of  the 
tent  so  arranged  that  we  could  fasten  it  tight,  and  at  night,  beneath 
our  heavy  covering,  we  nestled  together  like  a  litter  of  young  pigs. 
Though  the  thermometer  was  ten  below  zero,  we  slept  warm  and 
comfortable.     My  tent  mates  at  this  time  were  Charlie  Mitchell, 
William  and  Rollin  Mai  lory,  Milton  Mackey  and  Samuel  Cooper. 
Every  night  we  would  huddle  around  our  little  fire-place,  our  feet 
to  the  fire,  and  tell  stories,  crack  jokes  and  debate.     Sometimes 
our  discussions  were  loud  and  warm,  but  very  seldom  were  any  ill 
feelings  manifest.     The  subjects  discussed  were  usually  politics, 
religion  or  favorite  generals.     Every  night  before  the  entertain- 
ment began,  we  would  buy  some  apples,  crackers  or  oysters  to 
refresh  the  inner  man,  while  we  listened  to  the  torrents  of  elo- 
quence which  fell  from  one  another's  lips,  and  altogether  we  passed 
a  pleasant,  jolly  time,  even  though  stern  winter  did  hold  us  in  his 


39  [1881 

icy  grasp.  Citizens  came  in  camp  frequently  peddling  cider.  On 
such  occasions  the  boys  would  flock  around  him.  Some  would 
draw  his  attention  one  way,  while  some  rogue  would  tap  his  barrel, 
and  before  the  joke  would  be  discovered,  he  would  be  minus  per- 
haps several  gallons  of  his  cider.  We  were  now  set  to  work  build- 
ing winter  quarters.  I  shouldered  my  ax  and  went  into  the  woods 
and  felled  nine  trees,  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  in  diameter, 
and  cut  them  into  the  right  length  for  building.  I  was  so  lame 
the  next  day  I  could  hardly  stir.  It  was  laughable  to  see  some  of 
the  raw  hands  with  an  ax  try  to  cut  down  a  tree.  Most  of  them 
could  wield  a  pen  better  than  they  could  an  ax.  The  boys  all 
worked  with  energy.  The  prospect  of  having  comfortable  houses 
during  such  cold  weather  was  very  comforting,  but  oh,  the  fallacy 
of  human  hopes!  The  very  next  day  we  were  ordered  to  march — 
start  out  on  a  winter  campaign.  After  traveling  for  ten  days 
through  sleet  and  snow,  we  surprised  and  captured  thirteen  hun- 
dred prisoners.  There  was  scarcely  any  fighting;  then  went  into 
camp  at  Sedalia.  General  Pope  was  in  command  of  the  expedition 
and  he  deserves  a  great  deal  of  credit  for  the  ingenuity  and  mili- 
tary skill  he  displayed  in  capturing  these  rebels.  From  that  time 
he  was  a  marked  man.  He  rapidly  rose  in  position  and  influence 
until  he  ranked  among  our  best  generals.  While  we  were  at 
Sedalia,  a  very  severe  snow  storm  occurred,  after  which  it  turned 
very  cold,  and  on  one  of  these  cold  days  we  were  ordered  to 
march. 

December  31st. 

We  took  the  old  road  back  toward  Otterville,  at  whica  place 
we  arrived  after  two  days'  hard  marching.  On  the  second  day  I 
gave  out.  I  had  long  been  suffering  with  a  severe  cold,  and  I  had 
neuralgia  in  my  hip,  and  the  traveling  being  very  difficult  on 
account  of  snow  and  ice,  made  it  very  painful  for  me  to  travel. 
Dr.  Buck  kindly  gave  me  his  horse  to  ride.  About  this  time  I 
began  the  acquaintance  of  Charles  F.  Barber,  soon  after  adjutant 
of  the  regiment.  I  soon  discovered  that  he  was  a  relative  of  father 
— second  cousin,  I  believe.  When  we  got  back  to  our  old  camp, 
we  found  that  some  rascals  had  destroyed  our  fireplace,  and  our 
situation  that  night  was  anything  but  pleasant,  but  soldier-like,  we 
did  not  despond.  We  scraped  the  snow  off  the  ground  and  put  up 
our  tent.  It  was  nine  o'clock  before  we  got  our  supper.  Many 
went  to  bed  supperless,  with  the  frozen  earth  for  a  couch.  The 


1862]  40 

inmates  of  tent  No.  6  slept  close  that  night,  but  Roll  and  Charlie, 
whose  turn  came  to  sleep  on  the  outside,  suffered  with  the  cold. 
As  nothing  more  was  said  about  building  winter  quarters,  the 
inmates  of  tent  No.  6  went  to  work  and  built  some  of  their  own. 
We  first  built  a  fire-place.  In  this  we  patterned  after  the  southern 
style.  They  generally  build  their  chimney  first  and  then  match  , 
their  bouse  to  it.  So  we  built  our  chimney  and  one  door,  which 
occupied  the  front.  Then  we  laid  up  small  logs,  house  style,  some 
four  feet  high,  and  then  fastened  our  tent  on  top  of  it  for  a  roof. 
We  built  our  beds  so  that  our  feet  came  together,  and  its  sides 
served  as  a  seat  before  the  fire-place.  We  had  plenty  of  room  and 
cooked  all  our  grub  inside.  When  the  other  boys  came  to  see  how 
much  more  comfortable  we  were,  they  went  and  did  likewise. 

January  5th,  1862. 

We  now  received  another  installment  of  pay.  A  good  many  of 
the  boys  had  acquired  the  habit  of  gambling.  "Chuck  Luck"  was 
their  favorite  game,  and  no  sooner  had  the  boys  received  their 
money  than  they  established  banks,  and  the  game  commenced  and 
continued  until  either  banker  or  bettor  was  strapped. 

Many  a  soldier  would  venture  all  his  hard  earnings  on  the 
throw  of  the  dice,  and  thus  lose  in  a  few  hours  what  it  had  taken 
him  months  to  earn.  This  species  of  gaming  was  carried  on  to 
such  an  extent  that  an  order  was  issued  prohibiting  it.  If  anyone 
was  caught  at  it,  he  was  arrested  and  his  money  confiscated,  but 
this  did  not  stop  the  practice.  So  great  had  the  passion  of  some 
become  for  gaming  that  they  would  even  risk  their  lives  for  the 
sake  of  indulging  it.  Gaming  engendered  other  vices  and  too 
many  of  the  boys  gave  free  rein  to  their  passions  and  indulged  in 
all  manner  of  excesses  of  the  grossest  nature. 

January  12th. 

Tidings  of  the  battle  of  Belmont  now  reached  us,  and  General 
Grant  rose  one  peg  in  our  estimation.  My  health  now  became 
considerably  impaired.  I  had  had  a  severe  cold  for  a  long  time, 
and  it  had  finally  settled  on  my  lungs  and  a  bad  cough  ensued.  I 
was  rendered  totally  unfit  for  duty.  I  sent  home  for  some  cough 
medicine.  After  taking  that  awhile  I  felt  some  better.  They 
were  granting  sick  furloughs  now  and  discharging  the  worst 
cases. 

January  14th. 

The  doctor  examined  me  and  told  me  that  he  would  make  out 


41  [1862 

my  discharge  papers.  I  told  him  that  I  did  not  want  a  discharge, 
but  would  be  glad  of  a  furlough,  and  he  put  me  down  for  a  sixty 
days'  furlough,  and  I  supposed  that  I  would  get  one  without 
doubt.  Great  was  my  astonishment  when  the  furloughs  were 
made  out,  to  learn  that  I  did  not  get  one.  There  was  a  certain 
member  of  Company  D  who  now  played  a  sharp  trick  in  order  to 
get  a  furlough.  G.  H.  had  felt  a  little  unwell  for  some  time  and 
had  tried  to  get  a  furlough  and  failed.  He  now  conceived  the 
idea  of  using  strategy  to  accomplish  his  design.  He  wrote  to  one 
of  his  sisters  and  requested  her  to  write  to  him  stating  that  his 
father  was  very  ill  and  at  the  point  of  death  and  desired  to  see  him 
before  he  died,  and  request  him  to  get  a  furlough  immediately,  if 
possible.  In  due  course  of  time,  the  letter  arrived  written  as 
requested.  G.  read  it,  and  with  well-assumed  grief  and  with  tears 
rolling  down  his  cheeks,  he  came  to  us,  tent  6,  and  told  us  the 
cause  of  his  grief  and  requested  me  to  go  with  him  to  the  captain's 
tent  and  intercede  for  him.  I  really  pitied  the  fellow  and  told 
him  I  would  do  what  I  could. 

The  captain  was  very  sorry  for  him.  Although  it  was  past 
bedtime,  he  went  with  him  to  Major  Goddard's  tent,  but  the  Major 
told  him  he  could  do  nothing  for  him  as  he  had  no  power  to  grant 
furloughs,  but  learning  that  he  was  unwell,  he.  sent  to  Dr.  McKim 
to  get  a  sick  furlough,  and  under  the  circumstances,  the  doctor 
gave  him  one,  and  the  boys  in  my  tent  raised  the  money  for  him 
to  go  home  with.  Captain  Wayne  went  home  about  the  same 
time  and  the  captain  had  not  been  home  but  a  short  time  before  he 
met  G.  H's  father  in  the  street  and  expressed  surprise  to  see  him 
around  so  soon.  Mr.  H.  wanted  to  know  what  he  meant.  "Have 
you  not  been  sick?  the  captain  asked.  "Why,  no,"  he  said.  The 
captain  began  to  smell  a  large  sized  rat  but  did  not  ask  any  more 
questions.  When  G.  H.  returned  to  the  army,  he  was  joked  a 
great  deal  about  his  sick  father.  Captain  Wayne  did  not  say 
much,  but  G.  knew  better  than  to  go  to  him  for  any  more  favors. 

January  24th. 

I  now  received  the  startling  and  saddening  intelligence  that 
sister  Zine  had  left  us — gone  to  her  spirit  home.  I  was  so  shocked 
and  crushed  by  the  news  that  for  a  time  it  seemed  as  though  I  lost 
all  consciousness.  Soon  a  letter  came  from  Lester,  written  while 
her  lifeless  remains  were  yet  warm,  breathing  that  deep  sympathy 
which  only  a  brother  can  feel  for  a  brother.  While  their  own 

3 


1862]  42 

hearts  were  bleeding,  they  did  not  forget  the  absent  one,  and  in 
letters  of  which  every  word  breathed  love  and  sympathy  did  they 
try  to  soften  the  grief  which  they  knew  I  would  feel.  She  died 
very  suddenly,  rupturing  a  blood-vessel  and  choking  to  death.  It 
seemed  as  though  it  could  not  be.  Only  a  few  days  before  I  had 
received  a  letter  from  her,  full  of  life  and  hope.  Could  it  be  that 
those  lips  were  mute  now!  That  never  those  dear  hands  would  pen 
those  words  of  affection  which  so  stirred  the  deep  founts  of  my 
soul,  and  call  forth  those  strong  chords  of  love  tuned  to  her  touch. 
Could  it  be  that  never  again  I  would  feel  her  warm  kiss  upon  my 
cheek,  the  clasp  of  her  loving  arms  around  my  neck.  In  my  grief 
1  forgot  that  her  sainted  spirit  could  still  hover  around  me,  until 
like  a  flash  of  heavenly  light,  I  felt  her  spirit's  presence.  Then  I 
was  reconciled.  I  knew  that  from  henceforth  she  would  hover 
around  me,  my  guardian  angel,  my  shield  from  temptation,  my 
beacon  light  in  the  future. 

February  1st. 

Orders  now  came  for  us  to  march  to  Jefferson  City.  Not  being 
able  to  travel,  I  was  sent  with  the  sick  by  rail.  I  did  not  leave 
Otterville  until  the  next  day  after  the  regiment  left.  On  arriving 
at  Jefferson  City,  I  took  up  my  quarters  at  a  private  boarding 
house,  and  one  week  later  when,  the  regiment  arrived,  I  reported 
for  duty.  The  regiment  rested  here  a  few  days  and  then  took  the 
the  cars  for  St.  Louis  (February  9th).  The  captain  now  offered  to 
assist  me  in  getting  a  furlough.  I  rejected  his  proffered  services 
and  told  him  I  did  not  want  one  then  as  my  health  was  much 
improved  and  I  did  not  care  about  leaving  the  regiment  then.  It 
was  cold  and  stormy  when  we  arrived  at  St.  Louis.  We  halted 
on  the  levee  and  were  ordered  to  remain  there  until  further  orders 
by  Col.  Turner,  but  it  required  something  more  than  his  order  to 
keep  the  men  there  exposed  to  the  cold,  pelting  storm. 

February  12th. 

Though  I  regret  to  say  it,  a  good  many  of  the  boys  took  refuge 
in  beer  saloons  and  got  tight,  or  in  other  words  "dead  drunk." 
You  never  saw  the  boys  before  or  since  get  on  such  a  spree  as 
they  did  here.  Col.  Turner  did  not  seem  to  have  much  control 
over  them.  It  was  a  humiliating  sight.  To-day  I  was  almost 
ashamed  to  say  that  I  belonged  to  the  15lh  regiment.  A  stain 
was  cast  upon  its  hitherto  fair  fame  which  it  took  a  long  time  to 
wipe  out,  but  what  was  worse,  the  sober  ones  had  to  help  bear  the 


43  [1862 

ignominy.  By  night  everything  was  on  board  and  we  were  soon 
sailing  down  the  Mississippi.  The  next  evening  (February  14th)  we 
arrived  at  Cairo  where  we  halted  for  orders.  We  now  turned  our 
course  up  the  Ohio.  When  we  arrived  at  Paducah,  we  learned  that 
a  fierce  and  bloody  battle  was  in  progress  at  Ft.  Donelson  on  the 
Cumberland  river.  We  soon  came  to  the  mouth  of  the  Cumber- 
land and  turned  our  course  up  that  stream.  We  had  no  doubt  now 
of  our  destination.  We  were  all  eager  to  get  to  the  scene  of  action 
in  time  to  participate  in  the  fight,  but  the  captain  of  the  boat  was 
a  rank  rebel  and  he  refused  to  run  nights,  and  to  the  shame  of  Col. 
Turner  he  refused  to  use  his  authority  and  compel  him  to  run. 
On  the  morning  of  the  16th  a  gunboat  passed  us  which  a  few 
moments  before  left  the  fort  with  dispatches.  From  the  officers 
of  the  boat  we  learned  that  Ft.  Donelson,  with  immense  stores*  of 
provisions,  munitions,  ordnance  and  fifteen  thousand  troops  had 
just  been  surrendered  to  General  Grant. 

February  16th. 

It  was  a  glorious  victory,  and  it  was  the  beginning  of  those 
series  of  brilliant  victories  which  added  imperishable  lustre  to  the 
name  and  fame  of  Ulysses  S.  Grant,  the  hero  of  the  war.  The 
dark  clouds  of  gloom  which  had  begun  to  settle  like  a  pall  over 
our  country  were  partially  lifted  by  this  great  victory.  After  this 
fight,  the  General  rose  amazingly  in  the  estimation  of  the  15th. 
At  ten  o'clock  A.  M.  on  the  morning  of  the  16th,  we  rounded  a 
curve  in  the  river  and  the  high  battlements  and  frowning  batteries 
of  Ft.  Donelson,  with  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  on  the 
ramparts,  met  our  visions.  It  was  a  scene  well  calculated  to 
thrill  the  minds  of  the  beholders  with  enthusiasm.  The  place  had 
surrendered  just  one  hour  before  we  arrived  and  had  it  not  been 
for  a  secesh  captain  and  an  over-prudent  colonel,  we  would 
have  been  there  in  time  to  have  shared  in  the  honors  of  the  victory. 
Ft.  Donelson  is  situated  on  the  Cumberland  river,  two  hundred 
miles  from  its  mouth  and  forty  miles  below  Nashville.  Nature 
had  made  its  natural  defenses  strong,  and  with  its  heavy  earth- 
works the  place  seemed  impregnable.  The  main  fort  was  situated 
on  a  high  bluff  and  its  guns  commanded  the  river  for  a  mile  or 
more  each  way.  Below  the  fort,  clear  down  to  the  water's  edge, 
were  a  succession  of  heavy  casemated  batteries.  Against  these 
formidable  barriers  our  gallant  little  navy  hurled  their  iron 
missiles,  while  the  answering  shots  from  the  batteries  came 


1862]  44 

tearing  through  the  fleet  with  terrible  precision.  But  nothing 
daunted,  it  persevered  until  its  work  WHS  accomplished.  Most  of 
the  infantry  had  marched  from  Ft.  Henry,  which  was  captured  by 
Com.  Foote  a  few  days  before,  across  to  Ft.  Donelson,  fifteen 
miles  (Ft.  Henry  is  on  the  Tennessee),  so  the  place  was  com- 
pletely invested  with  the  exception  of  a  small  space  on  the  upper 
side.  The  rebels  made  a  stubborn  resistance  and  repeatedly 
charged  our  lines  in  hopes  of  forcing  their  way  through,  but  they 
met  with  a  bloody  repulse.  In  talking  with  an  eye-witness  of  the 
battle,  he  said  the  fight  was  terrific.  Charge  met  charge.  Steel 
clashed  against  steel.  Generals  Logan,  McClernand,  Wallace  and 
Smith  from  Illinois,  and  Lew  Wallace  from  Indiana,  were  every- 
where on  the  field,  cheering  on  the  men  and  directing  the  fight. 

Our  troops  had  to  lie  two  nights  on  the  frozen  earth,  covered 
with  snow,  without  fire  or  shelter.  The  double-dyed  traitor  Floyd 
succeeded  in  escaping  with  a  portion  of  his  brigade,  leaving  his 
subordinate,  Gen.  Buckner,  to  his  fate.  When  we  arrived  at  the 
fort  we  found  everything  in  a  state  of  confusion.  The  spoils  of 
war  were  being  gathered.  Guns,  accoutrements,  clothing, 
ammunition,  etc.,  were  scattered  around  in  promiscuous  profusion. 
Some  had  thrown  their  arms  into  the  river.  The  prisoners  were 
busily  embarking  on  transports,  preparatory  to  going  North.  As 
a  general  thing  the  prisoners  were  a  hard  looking  set  of  men. 
Some  were  quite  communicative  and  disposed  to  be  cheerful. 
Some  were  Very  sullen  and  spoke  only  to  hail  vituperations  and 
abuse  on  the  detested  Yankees. 

February  18th. 

Toward  evening  we  disembarked  and  went  into  camp.  Volun- 
teers were  called  for  to  help  attend  to  the  wounded  and  place  them 
on  transports.  In  company  with  several  others  from  Company  D, 
I  offered  my  services  which  were  accepted.  It  was  nearly  mid- 
night before  our  task  was  done.  It  was  a  pitiful  and  sickening 
sight  to  see  such  a  mass  of  mangled  limbs  and  mutilated  bodies, 
but  the  patience  with  which  they  bore  their  injuries  excited  our 
admiration.  Out  of  the  twenty  which  I  helped  carry  on  the  boat, 
not  one  uttered  fc  complaint,  even  though  a  leg  or  an  arm  were  miss- 
ing. The  next  day  we  took  a  stroll  over  the  battle  field.  We  saw 
sights  that  fairly  froze  the  blood  in  our  veins.  The  dead  lay  as 
they  had  fallen,  in  every  conceivable  shape,  some  grasping  their 
guns  as  though  they  were  in  the  act  of  firing,  while  others,  with  a 


45  [1862 

cartridge  in  their  icy  grasp,  were  in  the  act  of  loading.  Some  of 
the  countenances  wore  a  peaceful,  glad  8mile,while  on  others  rested 
a  fiendish  look  of  hate.  It  looked  as  though  each  countenance  was 
the  exact  counterpart  of  the  thoughts  that  were  passing  through 
the  mind  when  the  death  messenger  laid  them  low.  Perhaps  that 
noble  looking  youth,  with  his  smiling  up-turned  face,  with  his 
glossy  ringlets  matted  with  his  own  life-blood,  felt  a  mother's 
prayer  stealing  over  his  senses  as  his  young  life  went  out.  Near 
him  lay  the  young  husband  with  a  prayer  for  his  wife  and  little 
one  yet  lingering  on  his  lips.  Youth  and  fcge,  virtue  and  evil,  were 
represented  on  those  ghastly  countenances.  But  oh,  what  is  that? 
Before  us  lay  the  charred  and  blackened  remains  of  some  who  had 
been  burnt  alive.  They  were  wounded  too  badly  to  move  and  the 
fierce  elements  consumed  them. 

We  now  came  to  where  the  rebels  made  their  last  desperate 
effort  to  break  our  lines,  and  in  a  small  cleared  field  the  dead  were 
piled  up,  friend  and  foe  alike  in  death  struggle.  All  over  the  field 
were  strewn  the  implements  of  war.  Could  we  have  realized  then 
that  the  battle  scene  spread  out  before  us  was  the  precursor 
of  a  battle  so  terrible  that  this  would  sink  into  insignificance,  we 
would  have  shuddered  with  horror,  yet  so  it  was.  We  had  seen  a 
battle  field  with  all  its  horrors  and  we  were  soon  to  realize  it.  We 
went  back  to  camp  visibly  impressed  with  what  we  had  seen  and 
not  until  the  surging  tide  of  battle  had  swept  over  us  again  and 
again,  did  the  memory  of  this  battle  field  cease  to  haunt  us.  The 
fall  of  Ft.  Donelson  necessitated  the  evacuation  of  Nashville  by 
the  rebels,  and  the  next  day  our  forces  took  quiet  possession  of  the 
capital  of  Tennessee.  We  remained  in  camp  at  Ft.  Donelson 
fourteen  days,  during  which  time  the  army  recuperated  and 
re-organized,  preparatory  to  a  grand  campaign  in  the  spring. 

February  22d. 

The  army  had  received  reinforcements  until  it  numbered  at 
this  time  eighty  thousand  men.  It  was  organized  into  six  divisions, 
commanded  by  McClernand,  Prentiss,  Wallace  and  Hurlbut  from 
Illinois,  Sherman  of  Ohio,  and  Lew  Wallace  of  Indiana.  It  was  a 
well-appointed  army  and  well  commanded.  The  15th  regiment 
was  assigned  to  the  fourth  division,  Brigadier-General  S.  A. 
Hurlbut,  commander.  At  this  time  Hurlbut's  reputation  was  rest- 
ing under  a  dark  cloud.  I  mention  this  to  show  how  completely 
he  changed  the  current  of  public  opinion  and  won  the  confidence 


1862]  46 

of  the  men.  That  black  stain  which  sullied  his  reputation  in 
Missouri  had  to  be  wiped  out  and  he  set  to  work  in  good  earnest 
to  do  it.  He  proved  to  be  a  brave  and  efficient  officer.  We  were 
now  mud-bound  and  unable  to  move.  The  river  had  risen  forty 
feet  since  we  came  there,  reaching  the  highest  water-mark  that 
the  oldest  inhabitant  had  ever  known.  The  small  village  at  this 
place  was  named  Georgetown.  A  little  farther  up  the  river  was  a 
place  called  Clarkville,  where  was  situated  an  iron  foundry.  This 
the  rebels  destroyed  and  evacuated  the  place  immediately  after  the 
fall  of  Donelson.  Two  new  articles  of  food  were  added  to  our 
rations  while  here,  consisting  of  desiccated  potatoes,  ground  fine, 
and  a  compound  of  vegetables  mixed  and  pressed  into  large 
cakes,  called  desiccated  vegetables.  We  soon  got  tired  of  the 
potato  as  we  did  not  know  how  to  cook  it.  At  first  we 
cooked  it  just  as  we  would  make  a  meal  pudding.  After  we 
learned  the  proper  way  of  cooking  it  we  prized  it  highly.  It 
should  soak  in  warm  water  until  it  has  swelled  all  it  can  and  then 
fried  in  a  very  little  grease.  The  vegetables  we  boiled  and  made 
a  soup  of  them.  Milton  was  our  cook  at  this  time,  and  well  he 
performed  his  duties.  He  could  make  as  nice  biscuits  as  I  ever 
ate  at  home.  The  weather  still  continued  to  be  disagreeable.  Our 
tents  were  nearly  worn  out  and  leaked  badly.  The  consequence 
was,  some  of  us  took  severe  colds. 

March  1st. 

This  was  an  unhealthy  place  and  quite  a  number  were  taken 
sick;  amongst  them  were  William  and  Samuel.  We  were  ordered 
to  march  about  the  1st  of  March.  The  sick  and  surplus  baggage 
were  sent  around  by  water.  William  and  Sam  were  left,  but 
came  up  the  next  day. 

March  2d. 

Our  route  lay  toward  Ft.  Henry  on  the  Tennessee  river.  It 
was  a  mountainous,  wild  and  sterile  region.  I  saw  the  first  pine 
and  beach  trees  on  this  march  that  I  had  seen  in  the  South.  We 
took  a  circuitous  route  to  avoid  mud  and  mountains  as  much  as 
possible.  It  was  only  fifteen  miles  between  the  two  rivers  at  this 
point,  and  yet  it  took  two  days'  hard  marching.  We  traveled 
twelve  miles  the  first  day  and  camped  eight  miles  from  our  start- 
ing point.  The  teams  did  not  come  up  that  night,  they  were 
fast  in  the  mud  two  miles  back.  We  went  to  bed  supperless  and 
without  shelter.  During  the  night  it  stormed  hard,  and  we  awoke 


47  [1S62 

in  the  morning  and  found  ourselves  covered  with  snow.  It  Avas 
so  late  when  the  teams  came  up  that  we  did  not  move  that  day — 
in  fact,  Colonel  Ellis  refused  to  march  an  inch  until  his  men  got 
something  to  eat.  The  next  day  we  marched  to  a  landing  four 
miles  above  Ft.  Henry.  Here  we  found  some  of  our  sick  and  the 
Captain  just  from  home.  We  drew  new  Sibley  tents  here,  but 
did  not  put  them  up.  Here  an  immense  fleet  of  transports  had 
collected,  which  was  to  convey  the  army  up  to  a  point  near  Corinth, 
to  operate  against  the  rebel  army  which  was  concentrating  all  its 
available  forces  at  the  latter  place.  The  river  was  so  high  that  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  get  to  the  landing,  but  by  building  temporary 
bridges,  walking  fallen  trees  and  wading  some,  we  managed  to  get 
there.  Our  regiment  was  divided  here.  Four  companies,  C,  F, 
D  and  I  went  on  board  the  Hastings,  which  boat  was  Gen.  Hurl- 
but' s  headquarters.  The  ether  companies  (six),  went  on  board 
the  City  of  Memphis.  The  baggage  was  put  on  board  the  City 
of  Memphis.  I  was  detailed  to  help  transfer  the  baggage  onto 
the  boat. 

March  4th. 

I  worked  all  night.  I  stepped  on  shore  a  few  minutes  in  the 
morning  and  before  I  returned  the  fleet  had  loosed  its  moorings 
and  sailed.  If  I  had  had  my  knapsack  and  gun  with  me  I  should 
not  have  cared,  but  I  was  in  time  to  get  onto  the  City  of  Memphis. 
It  was  a  grand  sight  to  see  that  magnificent  fleet  of  fifty  steamers 
sweep  around  in  line,  with  colors  flying  and  drums  beating.  It 
seemed  as  though  the  grand  old  forests  looked  on  with  awe  and 
admiration  at  the  sight.  The  Tennessee  never  bore  on  its  bosom 
so  precious  a  cargo  before.  The  fleet  halted  at  Savannah  for  a 
short  time,  and  I  was  glad  to  rejoin  my  comrades.  I  found  my 
things  all  right.  The  boys  had  taken  good  care  of  them. 

March  5th. 

Four  divisions  of  the  army  now  proceeded  up  the  river  twenty 
miles  and  disembarked  at  Pittsburg  Landing.  A  gunboat  had 
had  a  fight  here  a  few  days  before  with  a  land  battery  on  the  river 
bank.  The  place  was  almost  a  perfect  wilderness.  A  few  log 
shanties  were  the  only  signs  of  human  habitation,  but  now  this 
wilderness  was  to  be  peopled  by  a  mighty  host  of  freemen,  awaken- 
ing the  echoes  of  its  solitude  by  the  reverberating  tramp  of  armed 
legions,  the  shrill  notes  of  the  bugle's  blast  and  the  martial  strains 
of  the  fife  and  drum.  The  fourth  division  was  the  first  to  land. 


1862]  48 

Oar  camp  was  situated  one  and  a  half  miles  from  the  landing  and 
in  the  center  of  the  military  position  of  the  army.  On  our  right 
were  Sherman  and  Prentiss,  on  the  left,  McClernand.  Wallace's 
division  landed  at  Crump  Landing,  a  few  miles  below.  The  land- 
ing of  the  army  on  this  side  of  the  river  was  a  bold  move  in  Grant 
as  it  placed  him  between  the  rebel  army  and  the  river,  thus  cutting 
off  his  retreat  in  case  of  disaster. 

March  9th. 

The  rebels  were  concentrating  all  their  available  forces  at 
Corinth,  only  twenty  miles  from  us,  and  the  two  armies  lay  watch- 
ing each  other  for  several  weeks,  like  ferocious  bull  dogs  eager  for 
a  fight. 

Grant  was.  waiting  for  Buell  to  come  to  his  assistance  before  he 
commenced  offensive  operations,  but  all  the  while  threatening  the 
rebel  army.  Our  camp  was  a  very  pleasant  one  and  had  been  selected 
with  some  care.  A  difficulty  arose  between  Col.  Ellis  and  the 
colonel  of  the  6th  Iowa  as  to  who  should  have  the  ground. 

Our  boys  had  cleaned  the  camp  and  had  got  our  new  Sibley 
tents  nearly  all  up  when  the  altercation  took  place  and  while  the 
two  colonels  were  jawing  each  other,  Maj.  Goddard  slipped  over 
to  Gen.  Hurlbut's  headquarters  and  got  an  order  for  the  15th  to 
remain  where  they  were. 

We  had  drawn  six  new  Sibley  tents  for  the  company, — one  tent 
would  accommodate  sixteen  men.  Our  camp  was  formed  in 
regular  order,  according  to  army  regulations.  After  we  had  got- 
ten fairly  established  in  camp  we  paid  our  attention  to  drilling. 
Col.  Ellis  drilled  the  regiment  every  day  and  we  soon  became  nearly 
perfect.  There  was  not  a  better  drilled  regiment  in  the  army  than 
the  15th.  We  became  so  efficient  in  the  drill  that  a  large  portion 
of  the  regiment  could  drill  the  battalion  without  making  a  mistake. 
The  weather  was  delightful.  Spring  had  just  begun  to  open  and 
the  grand  old  forest  was  putting  on  its  leafy  covering.  Our  mail 
came  regularly  and  we  were  happy  as  mortals  could  be  under  the 
circumstances.  We  all  knew  that  a  battle  was  imminent,  but 
never  dreamed  that  the  enemy  would  open  the  strife.  Our  great 
victory  at  Ft.  Donelson  had  given  us  great  confidence  in 
ourselves  and  we  supposed  that  we  rested  in  security  for  the 
present. 

But  we  were  soon  awakened  from  our  repose  by  a  spirited  dash 
of  the  enemy  into  our  very  midst  making  a  reconnoissance.  This 


49  [1862 

was  the  Friday  before  the  battle.     The  15th  was  called  upon  to 
repulse  this  attack  from  the  enemy. 

April  4th. 

Promptly  and  quietly  they  obeyed  the  order  and  was  the  first 
regiment  on  hand  from  the  fourth  division.  We  received  great 
credit  for  our  behavior  on  this  occassion.  Some  regiments  would 
march  along  hooting  and  hallooing,  but  never  a  word  did  you 
hear  from  the  15th,  but  in  the  firm  look  and  steadfast  eye  you 
could  see  men  who  were  resolved  to  do  their  duty  and  they  chose 
to  show  their  courage  by  deeds,  rather  than  by  a  counterfeit 
semblance.  We  did  not  attribute  these  qualities  as  belonging  to 
ourselves  entirely,  but  in  a  great  measure  to  the  confidence  we 
had  in  our  leader,  Col.  Ellis.  Before  Col.  Ellis  dismissed  us  that 
night,  he  made  us  a  speech.  It  always  seemed  to  me  as  though 
that  speech  sounded  the  knell  of  his  own  doom.  He  went  on  to 
state  his  connection  with  the  regiment,  how  pleasant  it  had  been, 
how  he  loved  it  and  how  proud  he  was  of  it.  He  prophesied  the 
coming  battle,  exhorted  us  all  to  do  our  duty  in  every  emergency. 
He  closed  with  an  affecting  appeal  which  brought  tears  to  manj 
eyes.  Did  he  then  have  a  presentiment  of  his  fate  2  Brave  and 
good  man  !  Illinois  sent  no  nobler  man  to  the  field  than  Lieut.  - 
Col.  Edward  F.  W.  Ellis. 


1862]  50 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DAY  BEFORE  THE  BATTLE. 

April  5th,  1862. 

Reader,  follow  me  in  imagination  back  into  the  past.  Let  your 
thoughts  wander  along  the  spring-decked  shore  of  the  Tennessee, 
girded  by  dense  forests  just  blossoming  into  life,  until  they  rest  on 
Shiloh's  field,  then  pause,  and  take  a  sweeping  glance  at  the 
magnificent  scene  spread  out  before  you.  The  day  is  one  of  the 
loveliest  of  spring-time;  the  golden  rays  of  the  sun  are  gilding 
the  tree-tops  with  their  last  expiring  light,  and  reflecting  on  the 
camp  of  the  patriot  army  whose  tents  so  thickly  dot  the  plain.  It 
is  a  quiet  evening — an  almost  dread  silence  prevails — a  silence 
which,  ere  the  morning  rays  of  the  sun  gild  the  eastern  horizon, 
will  be  broken  by  the  flash  of  arms  which  will  make  the  earth 
tremble,  and  the  grand  old  forests  echo  and  re-echo  with  the  crash 
of  artillery,  bowing  and  shivering  the  giant  monarchs  of  the  forest 
with  the  fiery  blast;  but  how  quiet  the  scene  now!  How  uncon- 
scious are  we  that  the  morrow  will  be  ushered  in  by  a  blood-red 
sun  and  the  echoing  notes  of  the  deep-toned  artillery,  and  that 
thousands  who  are  now  all  unconscious  of  danger  will,  ere  another 
sun  sets,  be  sleeping  that  last  long  sleep  that  knows  no  waking! 
Thousands  of  broken  home-circles  in  our  land  will  gather  around 
the  family  board  this  day  unconscious  that  their  loved  ones  had 
laid  their  lives  upon  the  altar  of  their  country.  Many  a  soldier 
now,  at  this  quiet  evening  hour,  is  writing  messages  fraught  with 
love  and  hope  to  the  dear  ones  at  home,  or,  perchance,  they  are 
gathering  around  the  mail-bag  while  the  names  are  being  called, 
eager  to  get  those  welcome  messages  from  home  so  cheering  to  a 
soldier.  Now,  pass  we  farther  on  and  we  will  come  to  a  group 
who  are  whiling  away  the  hour  by  playing  a  game  of  euchre,  sledge 
or  whist,  while  others  are  preparing  their  evening  meal.  Others 
have  already  eaten  and  have  retired  to  the  shade  of  some  tree  and 
are  spinning  camp  yarns,  or  perhaps  are  talking  about  home  and 
friends.  Some  are  enjoying  a  game  of  ball,  while  others  are  show- 
ing their  dexterity  by  wrestling  or  jumping.  As  you  wander 
around  camp,  you  see  men  engaged  in  many  kinds  of  amusements. 


51  [1862 

The  vigilant  sentinel  only  is  on  the  lookout  to  ward  off  danger  and 
give  the  camp  timely  warning  of  its  approach.  Soon  the  martial 
music  of  a  hundred  bunds,  playing  tattoo,  breaks  the  silence,  and 
when  these  last  echoes  have  floated  away  on  the  evening  air,  the 
soldier  retires  to  his  couch  to  be  awakened  by  the  clash  of  arms  on 
the  morrow. 

THE    BATTLE. 

April  Oth. 

April  6th  and  Tth  will  be  remembered  by  historians  a&  the  date 
of  one  of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  modern  times.  The  camp  was 
alarmed  Sunday  morning,  just  as  the  streaks  of  red  began  to  tinge 
the  eastern  sky,  by  the  rapid  tiring  of  the  pickets,  who  soon  came 
in  with  the  report  that  the  enemy  was  marching  on  us  in  over^ 
whelming  numbers  and  were  even  now  in  sight,  as  a  shower  of 
bullets  which  fell  around  too  plainly  indicated.  There  was  no 
time  to  give  orders  then.  It  was  life  or  death.  The  enemy  was 
in  camp  before  it  had  time  to  arouse  and  form  a  line.  Some  were 
shot  in  their  sleep,  never  knowing  what  hurt  them.  Terrible  and 
complete  was  the  surprise. 

Our  boys  fought  as  only  those  can  fight  who  are  fighting  for 
the  right  Rallying  amidst  a  perfect  storm  of  bullets,  shot  and 
shell,  they  tried  to  form  a  new  line,  and  as  the  infuriated  enemy, 
made  mad  with  whisky  and  gunpowder,  hurled  themselves  against 
the  line,  it  gradually  fell  back  step  by  step,  forming  new  and 
stronger  lines  and  leaving  their  track  strewn  with  the  dead  and 
dying.  The  onset  of  the  foe  was  terrific,  but  instead  of  the  easy 
victory  that  had  been  promised  them,  they  were  met  with  a  valor 
superior  to  their  own,  as  the  cool  aim  of  our  boys  which  strewed 
the  ground  with  dead,  amply  testified.  Our  camp  was  situated 
three  miles  from  where  the  fighting  began,  and  it  was  not  until 
after  sunrise  that  the  tide  of  battle  surged  upon  us.  I  heard  the 
distant  rattling  of  musketry  and  first  thought  it  was  something 
else.  I  was  writing  a  letter  home  at  the  time.  But  soon  the  long 
roll  was  sounded  and  then  I  knew  that  there  was  work  for  us  to 
do.  Throwing  my  unfinished  letter  to  Milton,  who  was  sick,  I 
told  him  to  finish  it  and  tell  where  I  was,  then  hastily  putting  on 
my  accoutrements,  gun  in  hand,  took  my  place  in  the  company. 
In  less  than  five  minutes  from  the  time  the  bugle  was  sounded, 
the  regiment  was  on  the  march  to  the  scene  of  conflict.  Mil- 

O 

ton,    the   brave    boy,  unable  to   endure   the  suspense,  though  so 


1862]  52 

weak  from  the  effects  of  fever  that  he  could  hardly  stand,  with 
blood  now  on  fire  and  with  artificial  strength,  followed  us  to  the 
field.  No  remonstrance  of  mine  or  the  captain  could  make  him 
stay  back.  The  regiment  marched  to  the  fight  with  drums  beating 
and  colors  flying.  I  will  venture  to  say  that  no  prouder  regiment 
stepped  to  the  time  of  martial  music  than  did  the  15th.  There 
was  no  wavering,  hesitating  or  shrinking,  but  proudly  erect  they 
went  forward  and  filed  into  the  deadly  breach.  We  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  before  we  met  crowds  of  stragglers  skulking  to  the 
real'.  It  was  a  humiliating  sight,  and  our  boys  heaped  curses, 
bitter  and  cutting,  on  their  cowardly  heads.  They  tried  to  excuse 
their  conduct  by  innumerable  excuses,  not  one  of  which  would 
weigh  a  farthing  in  this  crisis.  Some  had  received  only  a  slight 
scratch  and  two  or  three  would  be  supporting  him  as  though  his 
life  depended  upon  their  care.  Reader,  do  not  judge  the  whole 
army  by  these  few  sneaking,  cowardly  things.  There  were 
enough,  yea,  too  many  horrible  mutilations  to  call  forth  our  com- 
miseration without  bestowing  a  glance  on  these  wretches.  Long 
trains  of  ambulances  now  passed  us  going  to  the  rear,  loaded  with 
the  wounded.  We  saw  two  long  lines  of  troops  engaged  in  terrific 
fighting — long  sheets  of  fire  and  smoke  from  one  end  of  the  line  to 
the  other;  shot  answering  shot;  charge  meeting  charge;  and  the 
wild  shouts  of  the  combatants  at  each  successive  turn  of  the  battle 
presented  to  us  a  scene  terribly  sublime.  We  halted  here  to  re- 
ceive orders  and  to  learn  in  what  position  we  would  be  placed  in 
the  line.  My  eye  wandered  eagerly  and  anxiously  along  the  line 
of  battle,  watching  the  effect  of  each  discharge.  Then  it  turned  to 
the  15th,  and  noted  the  effect  this  battle  scene  had  upon  them,  and 
before  me  I  saw  pale,  determined  faces  and  compressed  lips  of  men 
who  were  resolved  to  do  their  duty.  Calmly  we  conversed  of  the 
scene  before  us,  while  not  a  few  saw  fit  to  crack  jokes  which,  de- 
spite the  occasion,  elicited  laughter.  I  could  not  join  in  their 
mirth.  The  scene  before  me  was  too  solemn  to  admit  of  levity. 
It  would  be  difficult  to  analyze  my  feelings  on  this  occasion.  To 
say  that  I  was  perfectly  calm  and  self-possessed  would  be  presum- 
ing too  much,  although,  as  I  then  tried  to  analyze  my  feelings,  I 
was  not  conscious  of  a  tremor.  They  seemed  more  like  a  deathly 
calm.  I  knew  that  I  was  equal  to  the  task  of  doing  my  whole 
duty  without  flinching,  but  to  me,  as  well  as  to  every  other  soldier 
just  before  entering  the  battle,  an  involuntary  awe  and  dread  crept 


53  [1S62 

over  me;  but  if  true  and  brave,  these  feelings  gradually  die  away 
in  the  excitement  of  the  h'ght  until  they  become  almost  extinct, 
unless  a  sudden  reverse  throws  everything  in  confusion,  then  all  is 
terror  and  excitement. 

We  soon  had  a  chance  to  test  both  of  these  conditions,  but  our 
unlimited  confidence  in  our  commanders,  Ellis  and  Goddard,  went 
a  great  way  toward  schooling  our  nerves  for  the  fiery  ordeal 
through  which  we  were  about  to  pass.  The  clear  tones  of  Colonel 
Ellis  now  recalled  our  wandering  minds,  and  the  word,  "Forward" 
was  given.  The  music  fell  back  to  the  rear,  still  playing.  We 
marched  forward  and  took  our  position  in  line.  Just  then  there 
was  a  short  lull  in  the  fight.  We  took  our  position  a  little  forward 
of  a  rise  of  ground,  while  a  few  rods  in  front,  just  beyond  the 
brow  of  a  hill,  the  rebels  were  effectually  concealed  from  our  sight, 
gathering  their  energies  for  a  fresh  onset.  We  had,  as  our  sup- 
port, the  53d  Ohio.  We  had  hardly  gotten  our  line  formed  before 
the  enemy  opened  on  us  with  grape  and  canister.  At  first  it  fell 
short  of  its  mark,  but  nearer  and  nearer  the  death-dealing  missiles 
strike,  tearing  up  the  earth  and  filling  our  eyes  with  dust.  Soon 
they  come  crashing  through  our  ranks.  We  were  commanded  to 
lie  down.  Thick  and  fast  the  iron  hail  comes.  Groans  reach  us  as 
the  soldiers,  wounded  and  mangled,  crawl  to  the  rear.  The  embold- 
ened enemy  now  advanced  in  solid  column,  having  ten  to  our  one. 
The  53d  Ohio,  appalled  at  the  sight,  broke  and  ran  without  firing 
a  gun  and  we  were  left  single-handed  to  contend  against  these  fear- 
ful odds.  We  were  now  ordered  to  rise  and  commence  firinsr. 

O 

Rapidly  and  coolly  we  poured  our  deadly  fire  into  the  advancing 
column.  Now  a  rebel  sergeant,  in  front  of  us,  performed  a  brave 
act  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  He  advanced  in  front  of  his  com- 
mand and  with  his  own  hands  planted  the  rebel  flag  on  a  piece  of 
our  artillery  that  they  had  captured;  but  this  act  sealed  his  doom. 
He  fell,  pierced  and  riddled  with  bullets.  I  shot  at  him,  but  I  hope 
that  it  was  not  my  bullet  that  sealed  his  eyes  in  death.  The  enemy 
now  opened  a  fire  upon  us  so  terrific  that  our  little  band  seemed 
likely  to  b«  Annihilated.  Our  brave  boys  were  dropping  by  scores. 
A  ball  struck  the  stock  of  my  musket,  skivering  it  and  nearly 
knocking  it  from  my  grasp.  Another  ball  passed  through  my  can- 
teen, while  another  cut  the  straps  to  my  haversack.  Thick  as  hail- 
stones the  bullets  whistled  through  my  hair  and  around  my  cheek, 
still  I  remained  unhurt.  The  bushes  and  trees  around  would  writhe, 


1862]  54 

twist  and  fall  before  this  blast.  Early  in  the  action,  as  Col.  Ellis 
was  standing  on  a  log,  watching  with  eager  eyes  the  motions  of 
the  enemy,  a  ball  passed  through  his  wrist.  Lieut.  Smith  tied  a 
handkerchief  around  it  and  Col.  Ellis  continued  giving  his  orders 
as  coolly  as  though  nothing  had  happened,  but  soon  an  unerring 
shot  pierced  his  noble  heart,  and  from  this  stormy  battle  his  spirit 
burst  its  bonds  and  joined  the  martyred  hosts  of  liberty  in  the 
light  of  heaven.  Soon  I  saw  Maj.  Goddard  receive  his  death  wound 
while  standing  a  few  feet  from  me.  He  had  gone  to  join  his  com- 
patriot in  the  spirit-land,  and,  perchance  from  their  spirit  home, 
they  turned  and  took  one  long  lingering  glance  at  the  bloody  field 
and  shed  bitter  tears  over  the  sad  fate  of  so  many  of  our  brave  boys. 
Capt.  Wayne  now  came  to  me  and  called  my  attention  to  a  rebel 
soldier  concealed  behind  a  root.  Returned,  and  immediately  received 
his  death  wound.  Lieut.  Fred  A.  Smith  was  now  in  command. 
He  was  struck  by  a  ball,  while  standing  by  my  side,  and  knocked 
to  the  ground.  As  he  was  falling,  he  reached  his  hands  out  to  me 
for  assistance  ;  almost  involuntarily  I  bore  him  to  the  rear  over 
the  brow  of  the  hill,  took  his  handkerchief  and  bound  up  his 
wound  as  well  as  I  could,  then  gave  him  in  charge  of  Lieut.  Brad- 
ley, of  Company  C,  who  was  then  passing.  I  then  hastened  back 
to  rejoin  my  company,  but  what  was  my  astonishment  to  find  not 
one  living  member  of  the  15th  regiment.  It  seems  that  as  soon 
as  Fred  was  wounded,  our  boys,  to  prevent  being  surrounded  and 
taken  prisoners,  broke  and  retreated  in  disorder  and  in  the  tumult, 
I  had  not  noticed  it,  so  instead  of  finding  our  regiment  where  I 
left  it,  I  found  the  ground  swarming  with  rebels.  Something 
within  said  to  me,  "  This  is  not  a  safe  place  for  Lute  Barber,"  and 
that  if  I  wanted  to  live  to  fight  another  day,  I  must  retreat  out  of 
that,  and  retreat  I  did,  very  rapidly  too.  I  cannot  say  whether  I 
did  it  in  good  order  or  not.  To  tell  the  truth,  I  became  slightly 
confused. 

I  tried  hard  to  find  where  the  regiment  was.  Regiment,  did  I 
say,  no,  not  regiment,  but  the  broken,  disordered  fragments  of 
what  was  once  the  15th.  Failing  in  this,  I  found  an  Iowa  regi- 
ment belonging  to  our  division  and  fought  with  them  until  two 
o'clock  P.  M.  Here  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the  rebels  run. 
Back  and  forth  the  tide  surged.  I  had  now  expended  all  of  my 
ammunition,  and  there  being  a  lull  in  the  fight,  I  determined  to 
again  seek  for  what  was  left  of  tne  15th  regiment.  I  went  to 


55  [1862 

Gen.  Hurlbut  and  asked  where  they  were  and  stated  the  circum- 
stances which  separated  me  from  it.  He  thought  that  it  was  down 
at  the  landing,  but  did  not  know.  He  told  me  that  I  had  better 
fall  in  there  for  the  present.  So  I  did.  Gen.  Hurlbut  was  form- 
ing a  new  line,  the  strongest  that  had  yet  been  formed,  and  all 
attempts  of  the  enemy  to  force  it  back  were  fruitless.  He  had  a 
large  number  of  siege  guns  planted,  which  were  protected  by 
heavy  works  and  it  was  impossible  for  the  enemy  to  face  the  fire 
of  these  monsters.  In  their  last  attack,  they  were  handsomely 
repulsed.  Their  line  was  formed  within  half  a  mile  of  the  landing. 
The  enemy  had  spent  their  strength  and  their  best  efforts  could 
not  move  us  now.  Our  cause  began  to  brighten.  Gen.  Grant  had 
made  every  disposition  to  take  the  offensive  in  the  morning  and 
it  is  my  unshaken  belief  that  if  Buell  had  not  arrived  during  the 
night,  the  result  would  have  been  the  same.  During  the  after- 
noon the  rebel  General,  A.  Sidney  Johnson,  was  killed,  and  much 
of  the  life  of  the  rebel  army  went  out  with  his  death.  He  was  a 
brave  man  and  an  able  officer.  After  his  death,  it  was  plainly 
seen  that  the  rebel  army  was  not  handled  as  skillfully  as  before 
and  the  remark  that  Gen.  Beauregard  made,  that  he  would  water 
his  horse  in  the  Tennessee  or  in  hell,  was  not  realized.  The  enemy 
occupied  our  camp  that  night  and  the  thought  was  not  very  con- 
soling, as  all  our  things  were  left  lying  around  in  the  tent  in  a  very 
loose  manner,  which  did  not  look  very  well  to  receive  company. 
I  now  started  out  again  to  look  for  the  regiment,  and  this  time  I 
had  the  unspeakable  pleasure  of  being  successful.  I  found  them 
down  at  the  landing.  I  don't  believe  that  I  ever  experienced  a 
moment  of  more  heartfelt  joy  than  I  did  when  my  eye  rested  on 
the  15th,  broken  and  shattered  though  it  was,  but  with  that  joy 
came  a  keen  sorrow  at  the  thought  that  so  many  had  perished  in 
the  fight.  In  the  morning  we  mustered  five  hundred  and  fifty 
men.  Now  scarcely  two  hundred  answered  to  their  names. 
Company  D  had  only  thirteen  men  out  of  the  fifty  that  were 
mustered  in  the  morning.  My  comrades  supposed  that  I  had 
been  wounded  or  taken  prisoner,  as  the  last  they  saw  of  me  was 
on  the  battlefield.  I  now  learned  of  the  movements  of  the  regi- 
ment after  I  became  separated  from  it.  The  men  had  rallied 
again  in  camp  and  were  under  direction  of  Charles  F.  Barber, 
adjutant  of  the  regiment.  They  again  took  the  field,  but  were 
kept  in  reserve.  All  our  line  officers  were  killed  or  wounded 


1862]  56 

excepting  three  or  four.  The  regiment  was  now  in  command  of 
Captain  Kelly.  I  now  learned  that  Sam  Cooper  was  wounded 
severely  in  the  hip  and  was  then  in  the  hospital  boat.  Rollin  was 
in  the  thickest  of  the  fight  but  passed  through  unscathed. 
Charlie  and  William  also  remained  unhurt.  My  mates  were 
singularly  fortunate.  Only  Sam  was  hurt.  Our  regiment  camped 
that  night  on  the  hill  by  the  landing.  The  night  was  dark  and 
stormy.  The  rain  came  down  in  perfect  torrents  and  we  had 
neither  food  nor  shelter.  Through  the  long  dismal  night,  our  rest 
was  broken  by  the  deep  reverberating  tones  of  the  guns  from  the 
gunboat  which  kept  up  an  incessant  roar  all  night.  Our  thought 
anxiously  boded  on  the  morrow  and  tried  to  pierce  the  gloom,  but 
with  unwavering  faith  we  believed  that  to-morrow's  sun  would  see 
the  broken  and  disorganized  rebel  host  flying  before  our  victorious 
army.  The  thought  that  it  might  be  otherwise  was  perfectly 
maddening,  and  it  nerved  the  men  to  herculean  deeds  of  valor. 

The  fire  from  the  gunboats  compelled  the  enemy  to  move  a 
portion  of  their  line  back  during  the  night.  Thus  the  close  of  the 
first  day's  fight  witnessed  the  two  armies  lying  within  a  few  rods 
of  each  other,  each  confident  of  victory  on  the  morrow.  During 
the  night  General  Buell  crossed  over  a  portion  of  his  army  and 
marched  it  to  the  front.  Our  success  now  seemed  almost  certain. 
No  one  can  adequately  describe  the  terrific  fighting  during  the  day. 
The  enemy  were  perfectly  infuriated  at  our  obstinate  resistance. 
They  would  mass  their  strength  against  the  weakest  portion  of  our 
line,  and  then  with  demoniac  yells  would  hurl  themselves  against 
it,  and  then  for  a  time  the  shock  of  arms  would  make  the  earth 
tremble.  Giant  trees  would  writhe  and  twist  before  the  iron  hail 
and  come  crashing  to  the  ground.  The  screeching  shells,  rending 
everything  before  them,  cutting  huge  limbs  from  the  trees,  strik- 
ing the  earth  and  throwing  up  clouds  of  dirt,  formed  a  scene  of 
terrific  grandeur.  Anon,  there  was  a  short  lull  in  the  fight  and  all 
was  as  quiet  as  the  grave.  A  new  disposition  of  troops  is  being 
made.  Soon,  simultaneously  along  the  whole  line,  one  terrible 
crash  of  arms  follows.  It  seemed  as  though  the  very  earth  was 
opening  to  swallow  up  the  combatants.  The  air  was  black  with 
fine  shot  and  shell.  For  an  hour  this  storm  of  iron  hail  would 
rage.  Then  its  fury  would  abate  and  the  enemy  would  prepare 
for  a  fresh  onset.  Milton  stood  the  ordeal  well.  I  was  afraid 
that  after  the  excitement  of  the  day  was  over,  a  relapse  would 


57  [1862 

come  on,  but  instead,  he  gained  fresh  strength.     I  will  now  append 
a  list  of  killed  and  wounded  in  Company  D,  first  days'  fight: 

KILLED. 

Captain  Harley  Wayne,  of  Union. 
Private  Thompson  Hardy,  of  Marengo- 
Private  John  Spicer,  of  Harmony. 

AVOUNDED. 

Lieutenant  Fred.  A.  Smith. 
Sergeant  M.  Schoonmaker,  slightly  bruised. 
Corporal  Alonzo  Howe,  by  falling  of  limb  of  tree. 
Private  Morris  H.  Allen,  severely,  leg  broken. 
Private  John  D.  Bliss,  severely,  mouth  and  neck. 
Private  Alvah  M.  Clark,  slightly,  shoulder. 
Private  Thomas  T.  Gray,  slightly,  waist. 
Private  Sam  Cooper,  severely,  thigh. 
Private  Alfred  Dean,  severely,  left  arm. 
Private  Edward  G.  Gould,  severely,  right  arm. 
Private  Joel  B.  Parker,  severely,  left  shoulder. 
Private  Newell  F.  Shapley,  severely,  through  the  body. 
Private  Marshall  F.  Stephens,  severely. 
Private  Egbert  R.  Shearer,  severely,  hip. 
Private  Charles  E.  Hotchkiss,  mortally,  died  in  hospital. 
Private  Charles  A.  Underwood,  slightly,  in  shoulder. 
Corporal  Eugene  A.  Wells,  mortally,  died  in  hospital. 

DESERTED. 

George  Crumb. 

TOTAL. 

Killed,  three;  wounded,  seventeen;  deserted,  one. 

April  7th. 

The  army  was  astir  early  Monday  morning.  In  consider- 
ation of  our  disorganized  state,  we  were  held  in  reserve  for 
the  greater  portion  of  the  day.  Company  D  could  only  muster 
thirteen  men  this  morning.  We  were  commanded  by  Corporal 
Handy.  Lieutenant-Colonel  Cam  was  assigned  to  command  the  regi- 
giment.  As  we  filed  along  to  our  place  in  line,  Gen.  Hurlbut  gazed 
on  our  decimated  ranks  with  watery  eyes.  The  loth  regiment  was 
a  favorite  of  his  and  in  the  death  of  Col.  Ellis,  Major  Goddard, 
Captains  Wayne  and  Brownell,  he  mourned  the  loss  of  true  and 
tried  friends.  Gen.  Hurlbut  had  nobly  redeemed  his  reputation. 
No  general  on  that  bloody  field  handled  his  troops  with  more  skill 
or  showed  greater  personal  bravery  than  he.  Now  the  rattling  of 
musketry,  increasing  in  volume  every  moment,  tell  us  that  the  ball 
has  been  opened  by  General  Grant.  The  now  discouraged  rebels 
begin  to  yield  before  our  resistless  advance.  Soon  the  action 

4 


1862]  58 

became  general,  and  deafening  discharges  sweep  along  the  whole 
line.  Slowly  and  surely  we  press  them  back,  our  command  keep- 
ing in  sight  to  be  called  on  as  emergency  required.  Occasionally 
stray  shots  fail  amongst  us,  inflicting  slight  damage.  By  noon,  we 
had  passed  our  camp.  Faster  and  faster  the  enemy  began  to  yield. 
Harder  and  harder  now  press  on  our  victorious  troops.  The  rat- 
tling of  small  arms,  the  crash  of  artillery  and  the  screeching  of 
shells  through  the  air  was  deafening,  but  our  ears  had  become 
accustomed  to  the  noise  and  we  heeded  it  not.  The  dropping  of  a 
shell  in  our  midst  would  hardly  be  noticed.  Occasionally  the  line 
would  halt  for  a  few  moments  and  our  tired  boys  would  instantly 
fall  into  a  doze.  Despite  my  best  efforts  to  keep  awake,  I  would 
at  times  get  drowsy  and  fall  into  a  fitful  slumber.  A  heavy  bat- 
tery of  Parrott  guns  was  placed  in  our  rear  and  fired  over  our 
heads.  Even  this  would  fail  to  arouse  us,  but  when  the  shouts  of 
victory  from  our  boys  rent  the  air  as  the  rebs  were  once  more 
hurled  back,  then  we  would  start  up  and  again  advance.  About 
three  o'clock  p.  M.  we  received  an  order  which  effectually  banished 
sleep  from  our  eyelids.  We  were  ordered  to  the  front  to  prepare 
for  a  charge.  Illinois  soldiers  were  selected  to  make  it.  Soon  the 
line  was  formed.  Before  us  was  an  open  field,  skirted  on  the 
farther  side  by  underbrush.  In  this  brush  the  rebels  lay  concealed. 
General  Grant  was  here  in  person  to  superintend  the  charge  and 
as  he  rode  to  the  front  of  the  line,  he  was  greeted  with  tremendous 
cheers.  Soon  the  brave  McCook  rode  to  the  front,  drew  his  sword, 
waved  it  over  his  head  and  shouted:  "Now  give  them  a  touch  of 
Illinois  !  Forward  !  Charge  !  "  and  with  one  wild  shout,  we 
sprang  forward,  making  tke  earth  tremble  beneath  our  feet.  The 
rebels  shrank  back  dismayed  before  this  charge.  In  wild  panic 
and  confusion  they  broke  and  ran.  The  defeat  had  now  turned 
into  a  perfect  rout.  Through  woods  and  swamps,  over  hills  and 
through  valleys,  we  pursued  the  flying  foe  until  sheer  exhaustion 
compelled  us  to  stop.  The  panic-stricken  rebels,  taking  advantage 
of  our  momentary  halt,  planted  a  battery  to  more  effectually  cover 
their  retreat.  After  a  few  discharges,  they  were  again  compelled 
to  fly.  The  state  of  the  roads  and  the  exhaustion  of  the  troops 
obliged  us  to  abandon  the  pursuit.  Our  poor  and  insufficient 
cavalry  followed  them  a  short  distance.  If  we  had  had  good 
cavalry,  the  rebel  army  would  have  been  completely  destroyed. 
Some  of  our  boys,  who  were  prisoners  at  the  time,  afterwards  said 


,5.9  [1S62 

that  nothing  could  exceed  the  fright  of  the  rebels.  Order  and  dis- 
cipline were  at  an  end.  Thus  ended  the  memorable  battle  of  Shiloh. 
We  now  turned  our  weary  steps  toward  camp,  and  just  as  the  even- 
ing shades  began  to  fall?  we  reached  it.  Our  camp  showed  plainly 
the  marks  of  war.  Our  tents  was  riddled  by  shot  and  shell  and 
everything  was  turned  upside  down.  The  rebs  had  stayed  there 
the  night  before  and  the  uncivil  rascals  had  helped  themselves  to 
what  they  wanted.  I  could  stand  in  camp  and  count  two  hundred 
dead  rebels.  There  had  been  a  sharp  fight  on  this  very  ground. 
Slowly  the  shades  of  evening  began  to  fall  around  us.  An 
unbroken  stillness  reigned  where  a  short  time  before  echoed  the 
peals  of  battle.  How  changed  the  scene!  Out  in  the  darkness  lay 
thousands  sleeping  their  last  long  sleep.  No  bugle  blast  could 
wake  them  now.  No  more  will  they  heed  the  war  cry.  The  sound 
of  battle  will  fall  unheeded  on  their  ears.  They  have  gone  where 
there  is  no  war.  Their  tired  spirits  are  at  rest. 


1862]  60 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

AFTER    THE    BATTLE. 

April  8th,  1862. 

The  morning  succeeding  the  battle  dawned  bright  and  beauti- 
ful, and  over  that  bloody  field  the  sun  cast  its  smiling  rays  upon 
the  faces  of  the  silent  sleepers,  reflecting  its  beams  upon  the  bright- 
green  foliage,  kissing  the  dew-drops  from  the  flowrets  and  tinging 
all  nature  with  the  golden  hue  of  loveliness.  What  a  contrast  from 
the  dark  picture  of  the  past  two  days!  We  busied  ourselves  that 
morning  putting  things  to  rights  and  purifying  camp.  Scarcely 
was  this  accomplished  before  the  sharp  rattling  of  musketry  caused 
every  soldier  to  spring  for  his  arms  and  take  his  place  in  line  before 
there  was  time  for  orders  to  be  given,  We  marched  out  toward 
the  spot  from  whence  the  firing  proceeded  and  threw  out  skirm- 
ishers, but  to  our  chagrin,  we  found  that  we  had  been  fooled.  The 
alarm  was  occasioned  by  the  pickets  discharging  their  guns  after 
being  relieved.  This  event,  trivial  as  it  was,  produced  a  panic 
amongst  the  teamsters.  They  came  rushing  in  headlong  flight  to 
the  rear.  The  din  of  battle  was  yet  ringing  in  our  ears,  and  we 
were  easily  startled.  We  now  had  a  painful  task  before  us  in  bury- 
ing the  dead.  In  the  first  place,  1  sat  down  and  wrote  a  letter 
home  apprising  them  of  my  safety  and  giving  a  brief  account  of 
the  fight.  Then  I  got  permission  to  go  and  see  Samuel.  I  found 
him  on  the  Blackhawk  and  after  much  difficulty,  succeeded  in 
getting  on  board.  I  found  him  cheerful  and  much  better  than  I 
expected.  His  wound,  though  severe,  was  not  dangerous.  Sani 
was  a  brave  soldier  and  all  who  saw  him  on  that  day  testified  to 
his  coolness.  I  assisted  him  in  every  way  possible  and  then  utter- 
ing a  fervent  wish  for  his  recovery  and  safe  journey  home,  I 
returned  to  camp.  Sam  had  been  a  true  friend  to  me  and  I  parted 
from  him  with  deep  regret.  During  the  day  our  regimental  dead 
were  brought  in.  We  dug  a  long,  deep  trench  near  our  camp  and 
buried  them  in  one  grave. 

April  10th. 

It  was  a  painful  task.  Months  passed  before  I  recovered  from 
the  effects  of  it.  Now  we  turned  our  attention  to  the  rebel  dead. 
We  noticed  that  the  faces  of  all  of  them  had  turned  black.  On 


61  [1862 

examination,  we  found  that  their  canteens  contained  whisky  and 
gunpowder  which  was,  no  doubt,  the  cause  of  it.  It  seems  that 
this  had  been  given  to  them  just  before  going  into  battle  to  make 
them  fight.  This  was  the  cause  of  the  rebels  fighting  so  like  dem- 
ons the  first  day.  It  took  two  days  to  bury  all  of  them.  I  will 
not  attempt  to  give  much  of  a  description  of  this  battle-field.  It 
was  Ft.  Donelson  on  a  large  scale.  I  will  leave  the  imagination 
of  the  reader  to  furnish  the  picture.  On  one  spot  of  ground,  where 
we  generally  had  our  reviews,  an  artillery  duel  was  fought  and  the 
ground  was  so  thickly  strewed  with  dead  horses  that  you  could 
walk  nearly  all  over  it  on  the  carcasses.  In  another  place,  a  rav- 
ine, as  the  rebels  were  marching  up  to  flank  us,  a  battery  was 
placed  at  its  mouth  and  it  mo  wed  the  rebels  down  in  heaps.  Almost 
every  spot  on  that  wide-extended  field  showed  some  battle  mark. 
The  official  report  of  Grant  showed  upwards  of  thirteen  thousand 
killed,  wounded  and  prisoners.  Nearly  all  of  General  Prentiss' 
division,  with  himself,  were  taken  prisoners.  Lew  Wallace's 
division  suS'ered  the  least.  He  was  at  Crump  Landing  when  the 
fight  began  and  did  not  arrive  in  season  to  participate  in  the  first 
day's  fight.  The  losses  of  the  other  divisions  were  about  equal. 
Only  one  regiment  in  the  fight  showed  a  greater  proportion  of 
killed  and  wounded  than  the  15th.  Our  loss  footed  up  two 
hundred  and  fifty-two,  killed  and  wounded,  and  there  was  only  one 
man  but  what  was  accounted  for.  Gen.  Hurlbut  issued  a  very 
complimentary  order  to  us.  We  had  in  our  camp  about  thirty 
wounded  prisoners,  and  they  received  every  attention  from  us  that 
we  could  bestow.  They  were  Louisiana  troops  and  gloried  in  the 
name  of  "Louisiana  Tigers."  Judging  from  their  looks  and  the 
arms  they  carried,  they  did  not  belie  the  name. 

April  20th. 

Colonel  Turner  now  arrived  and  assumed  command  of  the  regi- 
ment. He  seemed  to  be  very  much  affected  at  the  loss  our 
regiment  sustained,  and,  in  a  speech  that  he  made  to  us,  he  compli- 
mented us  highly,  but  never  mentioned  the  brave  Ellis.  This 
omission  to  do  justice  to  a  brave  man  brought  the  Colonel  more 
into  disfavor  than  ever.  We  now  began  to  prepare  for  an  active 
campaign.  We  were  reviewed  and  we  knew  that  the  ball  would 
open  again  soon.  Gen.  Pope's  army,  the  heroes  of  Island 
No.  Ten,  had  now  arrived,  and,  with  Buell's  army,  our  numbers 
were  increased  to  one  hundred  thousand  men.  The  enemy  was 


1862]  62 

also  receiving  large  re-inforcements  and  were  busily  fortifying  at 
Corinth. 

April  21st. 

Everything  betokened  an  active  and  bloody  campaign.  Gen. 
Halleck,  Commander  of  the  Department,  now  arrived  and  assumed 
command  in  person.  In  the  meantime  important  changes  had 
taken  place  in  our  Company.  Fred,  now  promoted  to  Captain, 
had  gone  home,  and  Col.  Turner  had  nominated  a  private  for  the 
office  of  2nd  Lieutenant,  who  was  on  detached  duty  and  was  not 
with  the  regiment  in  the  fight.  Our  indignation  knew  no  bounds 
at  this  gross  outrage.  Our  new  Lieutenant's  authority  was 
respected  just  about  as  much  as  we  respected  him.  We  knew  how 
he  had  figured  around  headquarters  to  obtain  the  position,  and  the 
boys  could  hardly  keep  their  hands  off  from  him.  Our  Captain, 
hearing  how  matters  stood,  came  back  long  before  his  wound  was 
healed.  Sergeant  Waldock  was  the  one  entitled  to  the  position. 

April  22d. 

I  was  agreeably  surprised  one  morning  when  I  awoke  to  find 
Uncle  Washington  in  my  tent.  My  friends  had  sent  him  down  to 
see  if  anything  was  needed.  Although  his  services  were  not 
required,  his  company  was  very  acceptable.  He  stayed  a  couple 
of  weeks  with  us  and  then  returned  home.  The  roads  were  in  an 
awful  condition  at  this  tinie  and  it  was  impossible  for  the  army  to 
move.  If  there  was  a  prospect  of  an  immediate  battle,  Uncle 
Wash  was  to  stay  until  it  was  over. 

May  1st. 

We  left  Pittsburgh  Landing  about  the  1st  of  May.  We  were 
both  glad  and  sorry  to  leave  a  place  where  had  been  both  pleasing 
and  painful  associations.  We  marched  five  miles  the  first  day,  but 
it  took  all  day,  the  roads  were  so  bad.  We  halted  for  several 
days.  During  the  time,  we  drew  new  Enfield  muskets.  The  53rd 
Illinois  was  here  added  to  our  brigade.  We  were  called  out  one 
morning  to  prepare  for  a  fight.  We  formed  a  line  but  the  enemy 
did  not  make  its  appearance.  It  was  probably  a  scouting  party  of 
rebel  cavalry. 

May  4th. 

We  kept  hitching  along  now  from  one-fourth  to  two  miles  a 
day,  generally  marching  it  in  the  evening.  Before  going  to  rest 
we  built  earth-works  in  front  of  the  regiment.  Each  regiment 
was  required  to  do  this  before  going  into  camp.  Two  hours  was 


63  [1 862 

sufficient  for  us  to  throw  up  breast-works  that  would  stand  the 
test  of  light  artillery.  We  were  required  to  be  up  at  three  o'clock 
A.  M.  and  form  in  line  for  battle  and  remain  with  accoutrements  on 
until  daylight.  The  General  usually  rode  along  the  lines  every 
morning,  accompanied  by  his  staff.  General  Halleck  made  a  poor 
appearance  as  a  military  man.  He  usually  wore  a  slouched  hat, 
pulled  low  down  over  his  eyebrows.  His  general  appearance  was 
ungainly  and  unprepossessing. 

May  8th. 

When  the  army  came  to  a  strong  position,  they  would  throw 
up  strong  works,  irregular  in  shape,  and  commanding  every 
possible  position.  These  fortifications  were  considered  secure 
places  to  fall  back  upon  in  case  of  disaster.  The  whole  interven- 
ing space  between  us  and  the  Landing  was  one  continual  series  of 
fortifications.  General  Halleck  was  one  of  those  old  fogy  com- 
manders with  more  caution  than  spirit.  We  will  admit  that  the 
enemy  had  taught  us  to  respect  their  bravery,  but  with  the  army 
that  Halleck  had,  he  should  have  marched  right  up  to  their 
stronghold  and  sat  down  before  it  and  expended  labor  in  besieg- 
ing the  place  instead  of  so  much  in  the  rear  to  provide  for  con- 
tingencies. 

May  10th. 

Gen.  Beauregard  knew  what  kind  of  a  man  he  had  to  deal 
with  and  shaped  his  plans  so  as  to  completely  fool  Halleck.  If 
Sherman,  Grant  or  Thomas  had  had  command  of  the  army,  Beau- 
regard  would  not  have  gotten  away  as  slickly  as  he  did.  The 
nearer  we  approached  to  the  enemy,  the  more  cautious  he  was — 
so  cautious,  that  it  seemed  more  like  cowardice  than  prudence. 

May  12tb. 

We  got  very  poor  water  now  and  the  consequence  was  that 
some  of  the  boys  were  taken  sick.  Charlie  and  myself  amongst 
the  number.  Milton  had  cut  his  foot  badly  and  he  was  put  on 
the  sick  list.  A  sick  and  convalescent  camp  was  established  and 
we  three  were  left  behind,  much  to  our  disappointment.  The 
army  had  got  so  far  advanced  that  there  was  skirmishing  daily. 
Our  situation  in  our  sick  camp  was  anything  but  pleasant.  Those 
whose  business  it  was  to  draw  rations  for  us,  sold  half  of  them, 
thus  making  money  out  of  sick  men's  necessities,  but  we  had  the 
satisfaction  of  seeing  some  of  them  brought  to  grief  by  this 
outrage. 


1862]  (U 

May  14th. 

As  Milton  and  Charlie  were  wandering  away  from  camp  one 
day,  they  discovered  where  a  dairy  was  kept.  Our  mess,  five  in 
number,  conceived  the  idea  of  having  new  milk  added  to  our 
scanty  fare,  so  three  of  us  arose  before  daylight,  went  out  and 
milked  and  got  back  to  camp  before  it  was  astir,  thus  keeping 
others  off  the  scent.  We  hid  our  milk  after  we  brought  it  into 
camp.  After  a  few  days  the  owners  of  the  dairy  discovered  that 
someone  had  kindly  milked  their  cows  for  them,  so  they  laid  in 
watch  for  us  one  night  and  caught  us  at  it.  High  words  followed 
but  they  knew  better  than  to  meddle  with  us.  After  that,  they 
would  set  their  dogs  on  us,  but  as  we  went  armed,  a  few  shots  put 
a  quietus  on  them.  Milk  we  wanted  and  milk  we  would  have. 
We  were  sick  and  it  was  a  military  necessity  and  they  had  to 
submit. 

May  16th. 

We  were  now  getting  nearly  well  and  requested  the  doctor  to 
send  us  to  the  front  but  did  not  succeed  at  first.  We  had  one  of 
those  ignoramuses  for  a  doctor  that  was  a  disgrace  to  the  profes- 
sion. He  used  quinine  in  powder  or  pills  for  all  diseases  from  a 
fever  down  to  a  sore  finger — in  fact,  he  considered  it  a  panacea  for 
all  the  ills  that  flesh  is  heir  to.  I  believe  that  he  did  have  a  little  blue 
mass  and  calomel  which  he  gave  to  persons  in  a  dying  condition 
to  make  them  die  easier.  You  need  not  look  incredulous,  reader, 
we  had  just  such  men  for  doctors  in  the  army.  One  day,  our 
regimental  teams  came  along,  having  been  back  for  rations.  We 
hastily  gathered  our  things  together  and  "slyed"  off  and  that 
night  we  slept  in  camp.  We  were  now  within  four  miles  from 
Corinth  and  one-half  mile  from  the  enemy's  lines.  Skirmishing 
was  going  on  all  the  time.  One-half  the  company  was  on  picket 
every  day.  The  rest  helped  fortify  camp.  There  was  sharp  fight- 
ing at  times,  but  the  enemy  seemed  to  avoid  a  general  engage- 
ment. Pope  was  pitching  in  very  lively  on  the  left.  The  boys 
had  a  lively  time  on  picket.  There  was  just  fighting  enough  to 
make  it  interesting. 

May  18th. 

The  picket  lines  of  the  two  opposing  armies  were  within  hearing 
distance,  but  as  each  side  managed  to  keep  pretty  well  concealed, 
the  firing  did  but  little  damage,  although  occasionally  one  would 
get  wounded.  The  night  watch  was  the  more  dreary  and  dangerous. 


05  [1862 

We  knew  not  how  many  secret  foes  were  lurking  around  to  take 
advantage  of  every  movement.  There  were  no  lights  to  penetrate 
the  gloom  and  all  of  our  conversation  was  carried  on  in  a  whisper. 
The  videttes  who  were  placed  in  advance  had  a  most  trying  and 
responsible  position.  It  was  on  such  occasions  that  a  soldier's 
thoughts  would  wander  back  to  home  and  friends  and  in  the  dread 
silence,  his  imagination  would  weave  bright  pictures  of  fancy  for 
the  future.  Thus  between  watching  and  waiting,  the  time  passed 
until  the  cautious  tread  of  the  relief  smote  on  his  listening  ear 
and  then  another  dreamer  would  take  his  place. 

May  20th. 

My  health  was  so  far  improved  now  that  I  reported  for  duty. 
Capt.  Smith  had  gotten  back  and  the  company  now  began  to 
assume  its  old  buoyant  spirits.  There  was  a  log  house  in  front  of 
our  picket  line  and  each  side  had  tried  to  hold  possession  of  it,  so 
one  day  the  General  thought  that  he  would  decide  the  matter. 
The  rebels  occupied  it  at  the  time. 

May  22d. 

A  large  force  of  our  men  went  and  drove  the  rebels  out.  In 
return,  the  rebels  soon  returned  with  large  re-inforcements  and  our 
boys  were  compelled  to  give  it  up  again.  Then  we  had  the  whole 
division  in  line,  supported  by  several  batteries,  and  charged  the 
rebels  and  again  they  were  compelled  to  give  way.  This 
time  they  did  not  renew  their  attempt  to  take  it  as  it  would  likely 
have  brought  on  a  general  engagement.  The  next  day  we 
moved  our  lines  forward  again,  but  we  had  hard  fighting.  The 
enemy  contested  every  inch  of  the  ground. 

May  26th. 

We  were  now  in  hearing  of  the  rebel  camp.  We  could  plainly 
hear  the  drums  beating,  the  heavy  lumbering  of  the  cars  as  they 
came  into  Corinth.  Matters  seemed  to  be  approaching  a  crisis.  We 
advanced  our  lines  a  little  every  day  and  the  enemy  slowly  and 
sullenly  fell  back.  We  could  hear  the  cars  arriving  and  departing 
rapidly.  It  was  evident  that  the  rebs  were  either  receiving  large 
re-inforcements  or  were  evacuating  the  place.  The  latter  seemed 
the  most  plausible  to  us.  But  still  Halleck  with  that  extreme  cau- 
tiousness, crept  slowly  up  and  allowed  the  wily  foe  to  slip  from 
his  grasp.  The  enemy  kept  up  a  heavy  skirmish  line  to  make  it 
appear  that  they  were  still  there  in  strength,  but  subsequent  events 
showed  that  they  were  rapidly  evacuating  at  this  time.  We  had 


1862]  66 

now  begun  to  suffer  for  want  of  water  and  it  became  absolutely 
necessary  for  the  army  to  move  forward  where  they  could  get 
water  or  retreat.  The  latter  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  We  were 
furnished  one-half  gill  of  whisky  a  day.  I  mixed  it  with  my  drink- 
ing water,  thus  partially  neutralizing  its  bad  effects.  General  Pope 
was  now  thundering  for  admittance  into  the  stronghold  of 
Corinth. 

May  27th. 

Finally  on  the  27th  of  May,  after  sharp  skirmishing,  we  estab- 
lished our  line  in  sight  of  the  enemy's  outer  works.    We  could  see 
that   they   were   strongly    surrounded   by   a  heavy   abattis   and 
mounted  some  heavy  guns  though  afterwards  some  of  them  proved 
to  be  wooden  ones.     We  now  set  to  work  to  fortify  our  position, 
the   enemy  the   meanwhile   shelling   us,  causing   us  considerable 
annoyance,  yet,  we  perseveringly  kept  at  work  and  soon  had  a 
formidable  line  of  earth-works  in  front  of  us.     Our  regiment  was 
detailed  to  support  a  six-pounder  gun  rifled  battery.     The  enemy 
now  commenced  throwing  grape   and  canister  at   us.     A  charge 
struck  the  ground  in  front  of  us,  throwing  the  dirt  in  our  faces; 
another  passed  over  our  heads,  but  another  dropped  in  dangerous 
proximity  to  us,  and  some  of  the  boys  were  wounded.     In  the 
meantime,  there  was  sharp  fighting  on  the  skirmish  line.      Com- 
panies A  and  B  were  out.     One  from  Company  B  was  killed.  The 
rebels  suddenly  broke  cover   and  charged  our  men,  yelling  like 
demons.     Our  skirmishers  were  driven  in,  but  in  good  order.  Our 
battery  had  placed  their  guns  in  position  and  as  soon  as  the  rebels 
were  in  range,  six  pieces  simultaneously  opened  upon  them.     The 
effect  was  awful.     Some  of  the  shells  dropped  in  their  very  midst 
and  men  were  blown  into  atoms.     The  rebels  suddenly  came  to  a 
halt,  turned  and  fled  in  dismay  in  every  direction  except  toward 
us.    The  concussion  of  the  discharge  was  terrific.    We  were  lying 
down,  but  the  jar  fairly  raised  us  off  the  ground.     The  rifled  gun 
had   a   sharp  ringing  sound  which  jarred  severely  on  the  nerves. 
Simultaneous  with  the  discharge,  we  all  rose  up  to  note  its  effect. 
It  was  all  that  we  could  wish.     This  was  the  last  effort  that  the 
rebels  made  on  our  part  of  the  line.     Pope  kept  up  a  continuous 
cannonading  all  night.     We  fell  back  two  or  three  miles  and  went 
into  camp  and  were  relieved  by  another  division. 

May  28th. 
Early   next   morning  we  received  ten  months'  pay,    and  we 


G7  [1862 

immediately  started  for  the  front  again.  On  our  way  there  we 
learned  that  the  enemy  had  evacuated  and  that  our  forces  held 
possession  of  the  place.  Soon  we  heard  of  a  terrible  fight  in  Vir- 
ginia and  that  McClellan  was  defeated.  The  bulk  of  Beauregard's 
army  was  in  the  fight,  so  the  campaign  against  Corinth  was  a  drawn 
game.  The  rebels  gained  the  battle  in  Virginia  but  lost  possession 
of  the  stronghold  of  Corinth.  We  entered  the  place  about  ten 
o'clock.  The  rebels  had  destroyed  everything  they  did  not  take 
with  them.  Huge  piles  of  provision  were  strewed  around,  thus 
confuting  the  statement  that  the  rebel  army  was  starving.  We 
saw  where  some  of  their  magazines  were  that  were  blown  up  dur- 
ing the  night.  Corinth  is  a  small  city  of  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants  and  at  this  time  was  a  place  of  considerable  military 
importance,  being  the  junction  of  the  Charleston  &  Memphis  and 
Mobile  &  Ohio  railroads.  The  town  wore  a  desolate  looking  aspect. 
The  fire  from  our  heavy  siege-guns  had  driven  all  the  inhabitants 
out.  Some  of  our  shots  had  set  the  depot  on  fire  and  it  was  a 
smoldering  mass  of  ruins.  Several  engines  and  a  large  number 
of  cars  were  burnt  also.  We  went  into  camp  about  one  mile  south 
of  Corinth. 

June  1st. 

Gen.  Pope  commenced  a  vigorous  pursuit  of  the  enemy  on  the 
line  of  the  Mobile  &  Ohio  railroad,  but  after  a  few  days  returned, 
with  poor  success.  The  rebels  had  destroyed  all  the  bridges  in 
their  retreat.  We  lay  in  camp  a  few  days  and  then  took  up  our 
inarch  on  the  line  of  the  Charleston  &  Memphis  railway.  It  was 
generally  supposed  that  we  were  going  to  Grand  Junction,  a  station 
at  the  junction  of  the  Charleston  &  Memphis  railway  and  Charles- 
ton &  Mississippi  railroad,  where  it  was  reported  that  a  large  force 
of  the  rebels  were  fortifying.  This  place  is  forty- seven  miles  from 
Corinth  and  fifty-three  from  Memphis.  We  marched  one  day  and 
went  into  camp,  where  we  remained  over  a  week,  building  bridges 
and  scouting.  We  finally  resumed  our  march  and  the  second  day 
we  passed  Grand  Junction  and  camped  one-half  mile  beyond,  in 
the  wood,  between  Grand  Junction  and  Lagrange. 

June  12th. 

We  lay  in  camp  here  some  time.  It  was  blackberry  season 
and  they  were  very  plentiful  around  our  camp  and  the  boys  just 
feasted  on  them.  The  tedium  of  our  camp  life  was  now  relieved 
by  an  order  to  be  ready  to  march  by  daylight  with  three  days' 


1862]  68 

cooked  rations  in  our  haversacks.  Our  destination  was  Holly 
Springs,  a  beautiful  city  just  across  the  State  line  in  Mississippi. 
It  was  reported  that  the  rebels  were  here  in  force.  The  second 
day  at  noon,  we  halted  for  rest  and  refreshments  on  the  Cold- 
water,  six  miles  from  Holly  Springs.  Our  march  had  been  so 
rapid  that  a  number  of  the  boys  gave  out,  William  and  myself 
amongst  the  number.  It  was  the  first  time  in  one  and  one-half 
years'  hard  service  that  my  feet  failed  me.  Now  they  were  raw 
and  blistered. 

June  16th. 

We  were  left  here  to  recruit.  We  also  answered  the  purpose 
of  rear  guard.  Near  our  camp  was  a  rank  old  rebel  planter.  He 
was  very  kind  and  affable  while  the  army  was  there  and  one 
would  think,  to  hear  him  talk,  that  he  was  one  of  the  best  Union 
men  in  the  South.  He  said  that  the  rebels  had  taken  nearly  all 
of  his  personal  property  and  he  prevailed  on  the  General  to  grant 
him  a  safe  guard,  but  no  sooner  had  the  army  left  than  his  sneak- 
ing, traitorous  disposition  showed  itself.  Two  of  our  boys,  nearly 
worn  out,  stopped  at  his  house  and  requested  a  drink  of  water, 
which  he  refused,  and  then  commenced  abusing  them.  He  did 
not  know  that  we  were  camped  just  across  the  river.  When  the 
boys  told  us  how  they  had  been  used,  we  vowed  to  have  revenge. 
Seeing  a  fine  drove  of  hogs  near  by  and  naturally  supposing  them  to 
be  his,  the  boys  went  in  and  commenced  killing  them.  The  old 
rebel  soon  saw  what  was  up  and  in  a  towering  rage  came  down  to 
stop  it,  but  gun  in  hand,  I  stepped  upon  the  bridge  and  halted 
him  and  kept  him  there  until  the  boys  had  got  what  fresh  pork 
they  wanted  and  then  I  let  the  old  fool  go.  He  was  livid  with 
rage.  The  next  evening  the  command  returned  to  Coldwater. 
The  rebels  had  evacuated  the  place  the  day  before  and  pursuit  was 
deemed  impracticable.  We  got  a  good  joke  on  Milton  here. 
Just  before  the  army  started  back,  he  took  some  canteens  and 
went  for  water  and  before  he  got  back  the  array  had  left.  To 
lighten  his  load,  he  gave  the  canteens  to  a  cavalryman  to  carry 
and  he  never  saw  them  again.  We  boys  knew  better  than  to  loan 
or  give  anything  to  a  cavalryman  unless  he  was  a  friend.  It 
taught  Milt  a  lesson. 

June  21st. 

We  suffered  considerable  on  this  march  for  want  of  water.  We 
arrived  back  in  our  old  camp  three  and  one-half  days  after  we 


69  [1802 

left  it,  marching  sixty  miles  during  the  time.  We  did  not  remain 
here  in  camp  long  but  moved  one  and  one-half  miles  below  La- 
grange.  This  was  a  very  pleasant  village  and  in  time  of  peace 
contained  fifteen  hundred  inhabitants.  The  weather  now  was 
very  hot  and  the  dull  monotony  of  camp  life  began  to  be  quite 
irksome. 

June  30th. 

Picking  blackberries  was  an  agreeable  pastime  and  to  this 
luxury  we  added  sweet  potatoes.  The  boys  had  to  get  the  latter 
on  the  sly  as  General  Veatch  had  forbidden  them  to  forage  for 
them  unless  under  proper  authority.  Some  of  the  boys  paid  little 
heed  to  this  order.  Two  from  my  mess  were  out  one  day  and 
found  where  there  was  a  large  pile  of  them.  They  loaded  them- 
selves down  with  them  and  started  for  camp,  but  in  order  to  elude 
the  picket  and  get  into  camp,  they  had  to  pass  the  General's  head- 
quarters, and  in  doing  so,  got  caught.  Their  potatoes  were  con- 
fiscated and  they  put  under  guard.  The  guard  proved  to  be  a 
negligent  fellow  and  they  succeeded  in  slipping  away  for  a  few 
minutes  and  took  their  potatoes  to  camp.  Then  spying  a  nice  lot 
that  the  General  had  laid  up  for  his  own  use,  they  stole  every  one 
of  them  and  took  them  to  camp.  They  did  this,  they  said,  in 
revenge  for  being  arrested,  but  they  went  back  to  their  old  place 
and  the  stupid  guard  never  knew  but  what  they  had  been  there  all 
the  time.  After  awhile  the  General  called  them  up  and  gave  them 
a  good  talking  to  for  disobeying  orders.  They  affected  to  be 
very  penitent,  promised  to  be  good  soldiers  in  the  future,  and  so 
he  let  them  off,  but  I  imagine  that  if  he  had  known  that  the  rogues 
had  stolen  all  his  'Waters,"  they  would  not  have  gotten  off  so 
easily.  The  boys  were  highly  elated  with  their  adventure. 

July  1st. 

On  July  1st  we  received  orders  to  make  another  descent  upon 
Holly  Springs.  The  boys  received  the  order  in  no  enviable  frame 
of  mind.  The  weather  was  extremely  hot  and  there  was  a  great 
scarcity  of  water  on  the  route.  After  the  first  six  miles  we  had  to 
travel  fifteen  miles  before  we  came  to  a  pure  stream  of  water; 
besides,  we  had  little  hopes  of  our  march  amounting  to  anything, 
and  like  its  predecessor,  proving  a  weary  and  fruitless  one. 

July  3d. 

On  the  3d  we  arrived  at  Coldwater  and  went  into  camp.  Gen. 
Lauman,  who  now  commanded  the  division,  sent  forward  a  recon- 


1862]  70 

noitering  party  which  returned  and  reported  no  enemy  near.  We 
camped  on  an  old  cotton  field.  We  were  without  tents  and  a 
heavy  storm  coming  on,  added  greatly  to  our  discomfort.  We 
were  also  short  of  rations.  William,  Rollin,  Milton  and  myself 
got  permission  to  go  out  in  the  country.  We  soon  made  a  descent 
upon  a  large  plantation  and  came  down  upgn  the  proprietor  for 
dinner,  and  he  knew  better  than  to  refuse  us.  Hungry  soldiers 
will  not  stand  upon  ceremony  when  their  inner  man  is  constantly 
crying  "Cupboard."  Soon  we  had  the  satisfaction  of  sitting  down 
to  a  very  good  meal,  and  our  host  who  desired  to  propitiate  ns, 
entertained  us  by  telling  stories.  He  told  us  that  the  owner  of 
the  plantation  we  were  on  lived  in  Holly  Springs  in  grand  style, 
and  was  a  rank  rebel.  He  entrusted  the  management  of  his  large 
estates  to  an  overseer,  and  he,  our  host,  was  acting  in  that  capacity 
now.  To  use  his  own  words,  he  was  a  person  of  considerable 
importance.  After  awhile  he  brought  out  some  delicious  beer 
made  of  corn  and  molasses.  As  some  of  my  readers  may  never 
have  heard  of  this  kind  of  beverage,  I  will  state  the  modus 
operandi  of  making  it.  To  one  barrel  of  corn  add  four  gallons  of 
.molasses  mixed  with  water,  and  let  it  ferment  until  ready  for  use. 
We  filled  our  canteens  with  it  and  returned  to  camp  satisfied  with 
our  expedition.  On  our  way  back,  we  marked  a  large  flock  of 
turkeys  at  a  plantation,  which  we  designed  should  be  our  property. 
So,  when  night  had  spread  her  mantle  over  the  earth,  we  silently 
crept  forth  to  secure  our  prize,  but  to  our  amazement,  we  found 
that  the  General  had  posted  a  large  safeguard  over  the  premises 
and  we  had  to  give  up  our  undertaking.  I  am  not  one  to  justify 
this  indiscriminate  foraging,  but  I  do-  think  that  it  was  a  burning 
shame  for  our  General  to  post  safeguards  over  rebels'  property, 
thus  depriving  the  soldiers  of  what  justly  belonged  to  them,  and 
the  moment  that  our  backs  were  turned,  these  men  that  our 
bayonets  had  protected  would  lay  in  ambush,  to  waylay  our  tired- 
out  soldiers  who  could  not  keep  up  with  the  command.  This  I 
know  to  be  so. 

J.uly  4th. 

The  glorious  old  Fourth  was  now  upon  us,  and  the  boys  chafed 
and  fretted  not  a  little  to  know  that  they  were  where  they  could 
not  celebrate  the  day  as  became  Americans,  but  for  the  sake  of 
amusement,  a  wrestling  match  was  gotten  up  in  pur  brigade,  and 
the  champions  .of  each  regiment  were  placed  in  the  rjng.  After  a 


71  [1862 

Jong  contested  struggle,  in  which  the  champions  on  both  sides 
showed  great  dexterity  and  skill,  the  15th  bore  off  the  palm.  The 
victor  was  Fred  Kellogg,  of  Company  H,  a  slight,  active  fellow, 
weighing  only  one  hundred  and  thirty-nine  pounds.  Just  after 
dinner  the  camp  was  suddenly  startled  by  the  cavalry  coming  in 
pell-mell  with  the  report  that  the  enemy  were  advancing  in  force. 
We  were  in  line  of  battle  and  under  arms  in  less  time  than  it  takes 
me  to  write  an  account  of  it.  A  skirmish  line  was  immediately 
thrown  out.  Soon  the  cause  of  alarm  became  apparent.  One -of 
our  scouting  parties  was  returning  and  our  timid  cavalry  supposed 
them  to  be  rebels  and  were  scared  out  of  their  wits.  Our  con- 
tempt for  the  cavalry  had  been  great,  but  now  it  Tsnew  no  bounds 
and  the  crest-fallen  cavalrymen  had  to  submit  to  our  satire  and 
jokes  which  were  unsparing  and  not  few.  On  the  evening  of  the 
Fourth,  we  started  on  our  return.  I  now  saw  the  effect  the  want 
of  tobacco  had  on  tobacco  chewers.  The  men  had  gotten'out  and 
it  could  not  be  gotten  for  love  or  money.  It  was  really  pitiful  to 
see  the  suffering  occasioned  by  the  want  of  it.  I  saw  soldiers  offer 
five  hundred  dollars  for  one  chew.  I  thanked  fate  that  I  had 
never  used  the  noxious  weed.  On  the  third  day  we  were  back  in 
our  old  camp,  and  the  boys  were  soon  up  to  their  old  tricks. 

July  6th. 

Soon  we  were  ordered  to  Balls  Bridge  to  guard  that.  Only 
the  15th  was  included  in  the  order.  We  had  a  fine  camp  here. 
The  duty  was  light  and  as  we  were  just  outside  the  main  army, 'we 
had  a  better  chance  to  forage.  I  was  detailed  to  go  out  one  day 
with  a  forage  train,  and  a  squad  of  us,  in  charge  of  Captain  Kin- 
yon,  was  left  at  a  crossing  to  guard  against  the  approach  of  the 
enemy  in  that  direction.  Near  us  was  a  large  farm-house,  situated 
back  in  the  fields.  The  captain  went  out  that  way  to  reconnoiter. 
He  was  gone  a  long  time — so  long  that  we  became  alarmed  for  his 
safety.  Several  of  us  went  out  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  As 
we  approached  the  house  we  noticed  several  horses  standing  near, 
and  we  supposed  that  the  rebel  cavalry  had  taken  him  prisoner; 
so  we  made  immediate  preparations  to  attack  them.  We  crept  up 
cautiously  toward  the  house,  and  when  near  we  made  a  charge, 
but,  to  our  chagrin,  we  found  that  our  supposed  rebel  cavalry  was 
only  several  horses  standing  in  the  yard,  but  we  found  that  the 
captain  was  indeed  a  prisoner,  captured  by  the  bright  eyes  and 
handsome  face  of  a  young  miss  whom  we  found  lecturing  him 


1862]  72 

soundly  on  his  Yankee  principles,  while  the  captain  replied  in  play- 
ful good  humor.  When  we  broke  in  upon  them  they  both  seemed 
surprised.  When  1  told  the  captain  what  we  came  for,  he  laughed, 
and  we  joked  him  considerable  about  his  heart  being  captured  by 
a  rebel  miss. 


T3  [1862 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1862. 

The  City  of  Memphis  was  captured  on  the  6th  of  June  by 
our  gallant  naval  fleet  under  Com.  Foote,  after  a  sharp  fight  with 
the  rebel  navy  in  front  of  the  city.  Jeff  Thompson  was  in  com- 
mand of  the  rebels  and  from  the  portico  of  the  Gayoso  House  con- 
ducted the  fight.  So  confident  was  he  of  victory  that  he  invited 
the  prominent  citizens  to  take  their  position  at  the  Gayoso  House 
to  see  the  Yankees  run.  Our  navy  soon  made  its  preparations. 
The  rams,  under  command  of  Ellet,  steamed  rapidly  down  the 
river  and  made  direct  for  the  rebel  fleet.  The  rebels  tried  to  evade 
the  shock  but  it  was  useless.  Their  ships  were  struck  by  the  ram 
fleet  and  instantly  sunk,  while  the  gunboats  steamed  up  alongside  and 
poured  broadside  after  broadside  into  the  enemy's  fleet,  and  in  less 
than  an  hour  the  rebel  fleet  was  annihilated.  Then,  by  way  of  com- 
pliment, a  shell  was  thrown  at  the  crowd  of  spectators  on  the  house. 
They  did  not  wait  for  a  second  compliment.  They  thought  '  'dis- 
cretion the  better  part  of  valor"  and  took  to  their  heels,  Jeff 
amongst  the  number.  So  the  rebs  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  Yankees  run,  but  it  was  close  to  the  flying  heels  of  the  chiv- 
alry. Our  fleet  sustained  little  damage.  Four  of  the  rebel  boats 
were  sunk,  the  Beauregard  and  Van  Dorn,  in  shallow  water.  Our 
forces  took  possession  of  the  city  and  the  glorious  old  stars  and 
stripes  were  soon  floating  where  the  rebel  rag  was. 

July  16th. 

On  the  16th  of  July  we  were  ordered  to  prepare  to  march,  our 
destination  being  Memphis.  The  sick  and  surplus  baggage  were 
sent  around  by  way  of  Columbus  on  railroad  and  river.  This 
march  was  very  severe  on  the  troops.  The  heat  was  intense  and 
water  very  scarce,  and  the  dust  nearly  suffocated  us.  The  19th 
of  July  was  the  hottest  day  we  had  yet  experienced.  The  army 
moved  very  slowly,  resting  ten  minutes  every  hair'  hour,  in  the 
shade,  when  we  could  find  it,  but  notwithstanding,  scores  of  men 
would  drop  down,  some  dying  instantly,  other  so  far  gone  as  not 
to  be  able  to  move.  It  was  a  common  sight  that  day  to  see  dead 
soldiers  by  the  roadside.  I  came  very  near  going  under,  but  by 
exerting  every  nerve  I  managed  to  get  along,  but  it  injured  me. 

5 


1862]  74 

The  next  day,  when  within  but  six  miles  of  the  city,  I  had  a  touch 
of  sunstroke.  The  doctor  was  near  by  and  put  me  in  an  ambu- 
lance, so  1  did  not  experience  its  worst  effects.  The  army  halted 
when  within  a  few  miles  of  the  city  to  clean  up  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, so  as  to  make  as  decent  an  appearance  as  they  could,  while 
passing  through. 

July  20th. 

A  large  number  of  the  boys  had  become  so  immodest  as  not  to 
care  for  appearances.  Indeed,  the  whole  army  was  in  a  deplorable 
condition  for  want  of  clothing.  If  a  soldier  had  a  sound  seat  in 
his  pants,  it  was  immediately  noticed,  it  being  an  exception  to  the 
general  rule,  and  not  a  few  of  the  soldiers  marched  through  the 
city  with  pocket  handkerchiefs  hanging  out  behind,  but  despite 
our  appearance,  we  were  greeted  with  cheers  and  laughter.  Many 
a  fair  damsel  came  out  to  see  us  pass,  and  if  they  wondered  at 
the  manner  in  which  some  carried  their  handkerchiefs,  they  did 
not  say  much,  but  occasionally  we  could  see  a  smile  lurking 
around  their  dimpled  cheeks  as  they  noticed  some  who  were  more 
conspicuous  than  others.  The  boys  felt  rather  proud  of  their 
rags.  It  caused  so  much  notice  to  be  taken  of  them.  We  went 
into  camp  one  and  one-half  miles  south  of  the  city.  We  found  all 
our  sick  here  who  went  around  by  water,  except  Milton — but  more 
of  him  soon. 

I  will  now  relate  a  trick  that  three  members  of  Company  D 
played  on  the  secesh  in  order  to  get  good  living  and  lodging. 
They  left  the  company  and  went  in  advance  of  the  army  twenty  or 
thirty  miles.  Two  of  them  played  rebel  soldiers,  while  the  third 
they  held  as  federal  prisoner.  They  stopped  at  the  most  promi- 
nent rebel  houses  on  the  route,  where  they  were  received  with 
open  arms  and  furnished  the  best  that  the  houses  afforded.  So 
well  did  they  play  their  game  that  they  were  not  even  suspected; 
but  the  boys  were  brought  to  grief  when  they  rejoined  the  com- 
pany, by  being  held  in  durance  vile  for  leaving  the  company  with- 
out permission;  but  as  their  punishment  was  so  much  lighter  than 
the  good  they  experienced  by  the  offense,  they  submitted 
graciously. 

July  21st. 

The  first  thing  we  did  after  being  settled  in  camp,  was  to  draw 
clothing  and  then  Gen.  Hurlbut,  in  consideration  of  our  having  so 
long  been  deprived  of  the  luxuries  and  associations  of  civilization, 


75  [1862 

granted  five  passes  a  day  from  each  company  to  go  to  the  city, 
said  pass  lasting  twenty-four  hours,  to  be  returned  to  division 
head-quarters  when  the  holder  returned.  If  he  failed,  he  was  put 
under  arrest.  Each  soldier  was  required  to  go  armed  with  a 
bayonet  or  revolver.  The  rebel  citizens  were  very  violent  yet,  and 
the  soldiers  would  not  brook  insult  or  hear  our  flag  spoken  lightly 
of.  Some  of  the  boys  became  so  impatient  they  could  not  wait 
the  slow  process  of  passes,  but  would  steal  away  and  have  a  spree 
and  then  pay  the  penalty.  The  evil  disposed  now  began  to  plunge 
into  all  kinds  of  dissipation,  frequenting  drinking  saloons  and 
other  places  of  infamous  resort.  If  a  soldier  came  back  before 
the  expiration  of  his  pass,  he  was  hooted  at  and  made  the  laugh- 
ing stock  of  his  company.  William  and  I  waited  until  the  last 
before  we  accepted  a  pass,  although  we  could  have  had  one  at  any 
time.  Some  of  the  boys  dogged  our  steps  to  see  where  we  would 
spend  the  night.  We  were  conscious  that  we  were  watched  and 
we  took  measures  that  completely  fooled  them. 

August  6th. 

We  were  considered  by  all  the  company  to  be  perfect  models 
of  propriety  and  morality,  and  some  were  very  anxious  to  detect 
something  improper  in  our  actions  so  as  to  get  a  laugh  on  us,  but 
we  were  determined  to  give  them  no  such  opportunity,  and,  to  this 
day,  very  few  know  where  we  spent  the  evening  or  where  we 
passed  the  time.  For  the  benefit  of  my  readers,  I  will  tell  them. 
We  spent  the  day  strolling  around  the  city  seeing  what  was  to  be 
seen.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  hear  the  Campbell  Minstrels  per- 
form, after  which  we  repaired  to  a  lumber  yard  and,  having  found 
a  good  place,  stowed  ourselves  away  for  the  night.  When  we  got 
back  to  camp,  all  efforts  to  find  where  we  stayed  proved  unavail- 
ing. 

I  now  began  to  be  considerably  alarmed  about  Milton.  No  one 
had  seen  or  heard  of  him  since  he  took  the  cars  at  Lagrange,  and 
as  more  than  three  weoks  had  passed  since  then,  I  had  almost  given 
him  up  as  lost.  I  supposed  that  he  had  got  off  the  cars  and  had 
strayed  away  so  far  that  he  got  captured  or  killed.  I  informed 
his  folks  of  my  fears,  at  the  same  time  promising  to  use*my  utmost 
endeavors  to  find  where  he  was  or  what  was  his  fate.  Milton, 
though  a  little  wayward  at  times,  was  a  boy  of  noble  qualities, 
and  feelings  of  friendship  as  well  as  duty,  prompted  me  to  take  an 
interest  in  his  welfare.  We  inquired  of  the  post-surgeon  at  Col- 


1.862]  76 

umbus  if  any  such  man  had  been  there,  but  we  did  not  receive  any 
answer.  Mr.  Maekey's  folks  wrote  to  me  frequently  and  mani- 
fested great  anxiety  concerning  him. 

August  12th. 

But  our  anxiety  was  relieved  one  day  by  Milton's  shining, 
chubby  face,  sparkling  all  over  with  mirth,  presenting  itself  to  us. 
He  had  a  bundle  of  newspapers  under  his  arm,  as  usual,  peddling. 
He  was  without  coat  or  vest,  shirt-sleeves  rolled  up,  collar  turned 
under,  and,  to  use  a  camp  phrase,  "looked  rather  seedy."  He 
stalked  in  amongst  us,  grinning  and  joking  as  though  nothing  had 
happened.  Of  course,  we  were  all  glad  to  see  him.  He  soon  told 
us  his  story.  It  seems  that  he  was  taken  quite  sick  in  the  cars  and 
crawled  into  one  of  the  baggage-cars  and  lay  down.  When  he 
arrived  at  Columbus  he  was  nearly  helpless.  The  other  boys,  not 
knowing  where  he  was,  went  on  and  left  him.  He  was  taken  to 

O  ' 

the  hospital  and  cared  for,  but  had  a  run  of  fever.  When  he  was 
convalescent  he  wrote  to  me,  but  I  never  received  the  letter.  He 
said  that  he  wrote  to  his  folks  and  they  did  not  get  the  letter  until 
after  they  learned  of  his  safety  by  way  of  me.  As  soon  as  he  was 
able,  he  had  gone  to  cooking  in  the  hospital.  He  said  he  hated  to 
leave  it  as  he  was  having  first-rate  times  and  was  living  high. 

We  now  shifted  camp  to  a  more  eligible  situation,  on  a  high 
bluff  by  the  river;  opposite  from  camp  the  bed  of  the  river  made 
an  abrupt  bend,  running  west  for  several  miles  and  then  gradually 
resuming  its  natural  course.  A  small  channel  kept  straight  on  and 
joined  the  other  miles  below,  forming  a  beautiful  island,  which 
was  the  favorite  resort  of  the  boys.  Plenty  of  melons,  tomatoes 
and  other  vegetables  grew  there  and  nearly  every  day  some  of  us 
would  go  over  and  get  a  fresh  supply.  'Neath  the  shade  of  a  large 
tree  overhanging  the  bluff  was  a  favorite  resort  of  mine.  I  have 
sat  there  for  hours  in  the  heat  of  the  day  and  in  the  twilight 
hours,  watching  the  noble  steamers  plowing  the  dancing  waves  of 
the  Father  of  Waters.  From  that  spot  we  had  a  splendid  view 
of  the  river  for  miles  each  way.  Closely  hugging  the  Arkansas 
shore  was  the  rebel  gunboat,  Beauregard,  about  half  submerged 
in  water.  *  A  little  above  and  farther  in  the  stream  was  the 
Van  Dorn. 

August  20th. 

We  were  situated  now  so  as  to  enjoy  ourselves  and  we  hoped 
to  pass  the  short  summer  months  in  quiet  and  repose.  Our  duty 


77  [1862 

was  light.  Col.  Turner  now  undertook  to  put  the  regiment 
through  a  course  of  drill,  but  he  made  such  bungling  work  of  it 
that  he  soon  became  the  laughing  stock  of  the  whole  regiment. 
This  galled  his  proud  spirit  deeply.  There  were  plenty  of  privates 
who  could  beat  him  manoeuvering  the  regiment.  Capt.  Rogers 
had  been  promoted  to  Lieutenant-Colonel  and  Raney  to  Major.  We 
now  made  quite  an  improvement  in  our  camp  by  raising  the  tents 
about  four  feet  from  the  ground  and  making  sleeping  bunks. 
This  arrangement  made  it  cool  and  nice.  Every  morning  before 
the  sun  rose  I  used  to  get  up  and  go  down  to  the  river  and  bathe, 
and  hundreds  did  the  same.  A  good  many  waited  until  the  heat 
of  the  day  and  then  they  would  stay  in  the  water  for  hours.  The 
consequence  was  that  many  were  taken  sick.  Col.  Turner  issued 
an  order  regulating  the  hours  of  bathing,  but  the  boys  paid  little 
attention  to  it  and  several  were  drowned.  The  hours  passed 
swiftly  and  pleasantly  by.  We  drew  the  best  kind  of  rations  and 
plenty  of  them.  To  these  we  added  extras,  such  as  hens'  eggs,  • 
potatoes,  fresh  fish,  etc.,  etc.  There  was  not  a  meal  but  what 
some  of  these  articles  were  in.  We  saved  enough  of  our  regular 
rations  by  selling  them  to  nearly  buy  all  of  these  things.  So  con- 
tented were  we  that  we  almost  wished  we  might  spend  the  rest  of 
our  time  here,  but  for  the  good  of  the  regiment,  it  was  necessary 
that  it  should  move.  Too  many  of  the  boys  were  becoming  too 
dissipated  to  attend  to  their  ordinary  duties.  So  foul  had  the 
pestilential  breath  of  the  city  become  that  decent  ladies  were  not 
seen  on  the  streets.  The  city  itself  was  beautiful  but  it  harbored 
more  vice  and  was  more  steeped  in  degradation  and  filth  than  any 
city  I  had  yet  seen,  but  we  will  draw  a  veil  over  this  scene.  At 
some  other  time  I  will  write  more  about  the  City  of  Memphis. 

August  25th. 

We  used  to  make  frequent  excursions  over  into  Arkansas.  On 
one  of  these  occasions,  Roll  and  his  comrade  came  across  two 
darkies  flying  for  their  lives  and  struggling  for  their  freedom. 
Panting  and  breathless,  they  plunged  into  the  river  just  as  their 
pursuers  with  their  bloodhounds  appeared  upon  the  shore.  Fortu- 
nately the  arrival  of  Rollin  and  his  comrade  put  a  stop  to  all 
further  proceedings.  Seizing  one  of  the  shotguns  which  the 
darkies  carried,  Rollin  fired  at  the  bloodhounds  and  they  went 
howling  back,  and  their  masters,  realizing  the  state  of  things, 
thought  "discretion  the  better  part  of  valor"  and  fled  in  haste. 


1862]  T8 

The  delighted  darkies  were  overjoyed  at  their  deliverance.  One 
had  traveled  all  the  way  from  Texas,  traveling  nights  and  hiding 
day-times.  My  dear  old  friend,  Samuel  Cooper,  now  came  back 
to  us,  but  he  was  looking  quite  feeble.  He  soon  had  to  go  to  the 
hospital  and  did  not  leave  it  until  he  received  his  discharge. 
Samuel  was  a  good  soldier  and  a  man  of  inflexible  integrity  and 
moral  worth  and  the  company  lost  one  of  its  best  members  when 
he  left.  My  correspondence  now  had  become  quite  voluminous 
and  I  occupied  a  good  deal  of  my  time  in  answering  letters 

August  31st. 

My  health  was  quite  poor  now.  William  was  also  quite 
feeble.  A  great  number  of  the  boys  were  sick.  Near  our  picket 
line  was  a  large  farm  house  where  a  dairy  was  kept. 

It  was  my  usual  custom  to  go  there  for  my  meals  when  on 
picket  and  get  fresh  milk.  We  also  had  plenty  of  fruit.  Peaches 
were  just  in  their  prime.  Under  this  diet,  I  soon  recovered  my 
usual  health.  There  are  a  great  many  large  dairies  around  Mem- 
phis. The  country  is  adapted  to  grazing.  The  soil  is  fertile  and 
the  general  appearance  of  the  country  splendid.  There  were  some 
almost  palatial  residences. 

September  6th. 

Our  division  was  now  reviewed.  It  marched  through  the 
principal  streets  and  made  an  imposing  and  splendid  appearance. 
Our  quiet  dream  of  repose  was  now  broken  up  by  orders  to  pre- 
pare to  march.  The  enemy  was  concentrating  a  large  army  at 
Davis  Mills,  near  Lagrange.  We  were  ordered  to  Bolivar  on  the 
Columbus  railroad.  Soon  the  earth  echoed  again  to  the  tramp  of 
the  fourth  division.  There  was  work  for  us  ahead,  and  with 
determined  spirits  we  pressed  forward.  Frequent  reconnoissances 
were  made. 

September  10th. 

Our  march  lay  through  a  swampy  country,  threaded  by  muddy 
creeks  and  rivers.  The  rebels  had  destroyed  most  of  the  bridges, 
hence  our  progress  was  very  slow.  We  were  obliged  to  take  a 
circuitous  route  to  avoid  the  enemy,  who  was  liable  to  pounce  upon 
us  in  overwhelming  numbers  any  day.  Guerrillas  lurked  in  our 
track,  picking  up  stragglers.  Lon  Howe  and  Emory  Hiner  of  our 
company  were  captured  within  one  mile  of  camp. 

September  15th. 

As  we  approached  Bolivar,  the  country  became  more  open  and 


79  [1862 

beautiful.  We  found  Bolivar  to  be  a  fine  looking  village  of  two 
thousand  or  more  inhabitants,  surrounded  by  a  fertile  country, 
watered  by  the  Hatchie  river  which  flows  within  one  mile  of  that 
city.  We  found  the  17th  Illinois  Volunteers  here,  our  old  com- 
panions in  arms  at  Alton.  We  stayed  here  one  night,  then  we 
went  to  Dunlap  Springs,  five  miles  from  Bolivar.  There  had  been 
a  fierce  cavalry  fight  here  and  Col.  Hogg  left  a  glorious  record  to 
his  country.  He  fell  while  leading  a  saber  charge  on  the  rebel 
cavalry.  A  hospital  was  situated  here  so  that  the  people  could 
enjoy  the  medicinal  properties  of  the  Springs.  These  Springs 
were  famous,  and  hundreds  of  persons  made  a  journey  here  yearly 
to  receive  the  benefits  of  their  life-giving  power.  The  grounds 
were  tastefully  laid  out,  being  dotted  with  fine  covered  arbors  and 
shady  walks.  There  were  several  springs,  and  it  is  a  curious  fact 
that  no  two  springs  had 'the  same  medicinal  properties. 

September  20th. 

We  supposed  that  this  was  to  be  our  permanent  camp  and  we 
went  to  work  accordingly  to  fix  it  up,  but  the  very  next  day  we 
were  ordered  back  to  Bolivar,  as  it  was  not  considered  safe  for  so 
small  a  command  to  be  so  isolated  from  the  main  army.  We  went 
into  camp  in  the  suburbs  of  the  town  and  went  to  doing  provost 
guard  duty.  This  was  very  heavy  and  it  required  all  the  men 
that  were  able  for  duty.  Some  of  the  most  prominent  southerners 
had  lived  here.  There  was  a  splendid  cemetery,  and  on  some  of  the 
monuments  were  carved  the  names  of  prominent  men,  amongst 
which  was  that  of  James  K.  Polk.  The  ravages  of  war  had  dealt 
lightly  with  this  place.  Merchants  still  continued  to  trade  and 
other  branches  of  business  were  still  open.  Our  1st  Lieutenant, 
Shapley,  now  resigned  and  there  was  an  exciting  contest  for  the 
vacancy.  The  aspirants  for  the  position  were  1st  Sergeant  Mike 
Schoonmaker,  and  2d  Lieutenant  John  Waldock.  We  were  all 
well  aware  that  Mike  would  be  the  choice  of  the  company.  It 
was  well-known  that  I  would  cast  my  vote  for  Waldock.  Not 
because  I  did  not  like  Mike,  but  because  I  thought  it  rightly 
belonged  to  Waldock.  Mike  received  all  the  votes  but  six,  but 
notwithstanding,  Gov.  Yates  gave  the  position  to  Waldock.  The 
same  day  the  non-commission  ranks  were  filled  up  and  I  was  sur- 
prised to  find  my  name  heading  the  list  of  newly-appointed  corpo- 
rals. Lieut.  Waldock  had  before  asked  me  if  I  would  accept  of  a 
corporalship.  The  captain  wanted  him  to  recommend  one.  I  told 


1862]  80 

him  that  I  did  not  desire  it  and  so  I  supposed  that  the  matter  was 
settled.  The  greatest  objection  that  the  boys  had  to  Waldock  was 
on  account  of  his  John  Bull  proclivities,  he  being  an  Englishman. 
We  were  now  relieved  of  provost  duty  and  we  removed  our  camp 
one  and  a  half  miles  out  of  town  into  a  cotton  field.  We  went  to 
work  in  good  earnest,  fortifying.  An  attack  on  Bolivar  was 
strongly  apprehended.  We  made  frequent  reconnoissances.  On 
one  of  the  occasions,  a  portion  of  our  command  came  upon  some 
rebels  and  a  sharp  skirmish  ensued.  Our  troops  fell  back  to  our 
fortifications  and  the  enemy  made  no  further  demonstrations.  Soon 
after  a  body  of  our  troops  surprised  and  captured  four  hundred 
rebels.  We  now  had  battalion  drill  every  day.  We  were  reviewed 
several  times  by  Veatch  and  Hurlbut. 

September  21st. 

Our  picket  duty  was  quite  heavy.  Our  regiment  had  a  certain 
place  to  picket  and  the  companies  took  turns.  It  required  two 
companies  a  day.  About  this  time,  a  little  twelve-year  old  boy 
ran  away  from  his  rebel  uncle  and  joined  us.  He  was  a  bright  and 
staunch  union  boy.  He  remained  with  us  all  through  the  war.  His 
name  was  George  King. 


81  [1862 


CHAPTER    X. 

October  3d. 

On  the  3d  of  October,  we  were  ordered  to  march  in  light  march- 
ing order  with  no  train  except  an  ammunition  and  ambulance 
train.  It  was  very  evident  that  we  were  going  on  a  forced  march 
and  that  something  of  unusual  moment  was  afoot.  To  our  division 
was  added  the  12th  Michigan  and  68th  Ohio  Infantry  regiments, 
making  in  all  a  fighting  force  of  a  little  less  than  four  thousand 
men.  General  Hurlbut  starting  in  command  of  the  expedition. 
Veatch  and  Lauman  were  his  brigade  commanders.  Bolton  and 
Burnap  commanded  the  artillery.  We  marched  twenty -eight  miles 
the  first  day  and  camped  near  the  Hatchie  river.  Tired  out,  we  soon 
went  to  rest,  little  dreaming  of  the  events  to  be  enacted  in  the 
morning.  If  we  had  known  then  that  on  the  morrow  we  would 
meet  the  combined  armies  of  Price  and  Van  Dorn,  numbering 
twenty-five  thousand  strong,  our  rest  might  not  have  been  so 
sweet. 

October  4th. 

Just  as  the  streaks  of  day  began  to  tinge  the  east,  we  were  on 
the  move.  We  had  not  proceeded  far  before  we  met  the  rebel 
picket.  After  a  slight  skirmish,  they  hastily  retreated.  Our 
brigade  was  immediately  deployed  in  line  of  battle  and  slowly  and 
steadily  advanced,  our  skirmishers  feeling  our  way  for  us.  The 
enemy  was  prepared  to  receive  us.  They  wene  strongly  posted 
along  the  river  to  dispute  our  passage.  Soon  the  shells  were  scream- 
ing through  the  air,  bursting  over  our  heads.  We  rushed  like  the 
speed  of  the  wind  to  the  high  hill  beyond  and  soon  the  crest  was 
gained.  The  enemy  in  rapid  succession  was  pouring  in  their  shot 
and  shell,  but  they  generally  flew  wide  of  the  mark,  passing  over 
our  heads.  Soon  Bolton  and  Burnap  planted  their  artillery  on  the 
crest  of  the  hill  and  its  hoarse  notes  replied  to  the  -rebel  thunder. 
For  fifteen  minutes  a  furious  cannonading  was  kept  up.  With 
rapid  precision  and  deadly  aim,  our  well-trained  battery  men 
poured  in  their  death-dealing  charges  upon  the  enemy.  Gradually 
their  fire  slackened  as  one  after  another  their  guns  were  dis- 
mounted and  most  of  their  horses  slain.  During  a  temporary  lull 


1862]  82 

in  the  fight,  the  second  brigade  was  ordered  forward,  marching  in 
echelon,  with  the  14th  Illinois  in  advance.  We  swept  across  the 
field  toward  the  river.  This  was  a  thrilling  military  sight,  such  as 
one  seldom  sees.  With  colors  flying,  with  well-dressed  ranks 
and  measured  tread  our  gallant  lines  moved  on.  There  was  no 
wavering,  no  shrinking  back;  but  as  calmly  as  on  dross  parade  or 
review,  we  moved  forward.  Our  firm,  undaunted  bearing  struck 
terror  to  the  hearts  of  the  enemy.  After  a  few  irregular  volleys, 
they  broke  and  ran.  We  poured  in  our  fire  at  short  range  and 
with  a  fierce  yell  rushed  forward  to  the  charge.  Some  threw  down 
their  arms  and  plunged  into  the  river  and  escaped  to  the  other 
side.  Some  were  drowned  while  attempting  to  cross.  Some 
threw  themselves  before  us  and  plead  for  mercy.  Yes,  the 
boasted  Southern  chivalry  knelt  at  the  feet  of  the  despised 
Northern  mud- sills  and  plead  for  mercy.  A  guard  was  detailed 
to  take  them  to  the  rear  and  we  again  moved  on. 

We  now  had  a  very  difficult  and  dangerous  task  to  accomplish. 
On  one  narrow  bridge,  in  face  of  a  terrible  tire  of  grape  and 
canister  with  which  the  rebels  were  raking  it,  our  troops  were  to 
cross  and  form  on  the  other  side.  Maj.-Gen.  E.  O.  C.  Ord  had 
arrived  on  the  ground  and  took  command  and  he,  being  ignorant 
of  the  nature  of  the  ground  on  the  other  side,  got  the  troops  mixed 
up  and  thrown  into  confusion.  At  this  point  the  river  makes  an 
abrupt  bend  and  the  regiments  were  ordered  to  cross  and  form  on 
each  side  of  the  road,  but  the  bend  in  the  river  prevented  them 
forming  on  the  right.  Gen.  Ord  was  now  wounded  and  taken  off 
from  the  field  and  Gen.  Hurlbut  was  again  in  command  and  he, 
understanding  the  situation,  ordered  the  troops  to  deploy  to  the 
left.  We  were  the  third  regiment  to  cross.  The  53d  Ohio  pre- 
ceded us  but  being  met  by  a  withering  volley  of  grape  and  can- 
ister, they  fell  back  in  some  confusion.  Our  regiment  was  then 
ordered  to  cross.  We  trailed  arms  and  at  a  double  quick  we 
swept  across  the  bridge  without  the  loss  of  a  man.  The  53d  made 
another  attempt  and  succeeded,  though  they  suffered  severely 
during  the  time.  The  enemy's  shots  were  mowing  down  our  men 
with  fearful  rapidity.  During  the  confusion,  our  regiment 
became  entangled  with  others  and  a  portion  of  Company  D  was 
left  on  the  bank  near  the  bridge,  William,  Rollin,  Milton  and 
myself  being  amongst  the  number.  The  grape  shot  and  canister 
were  tearing  up  the  ground  in  front  and  around  us,  making  a 


83  [1862 

general  havoc  amongst  us.  In  order  to  reach  the  regiment,  we 
had  to  cross  an  open  field,  raked  by  the  enemy's  fire.  It  was  our 
only  hope,  so  we  made  the  attempt,  and  strange  to  say,  only  one 
man,  James  Eagan,  was  wounded  and  he  succeeded  in  getting 
across.  Our  line  of  battle  was  now  perfect  again  and  we  com- 
menced paying  back  the  rebels  the  damage  which  they  had 
inflicted  upon  us.  At  or  near  the  bridge,  four  hundred  and  fifty  of 
our  boys  lay  weltering  in  their  blood.  Gen.  Veatch  was  struck 
by  a  spent  ball  and  forced  to  leave  the  field.  The  rebels  were 
now  strongly  posted  behind  a  rail  fence,  a  few  rods  in  front  of  us, 
but  so  thick  was  the  underbrush  that  we  could  not  see  them. 
They  poured  in  withering  volleys  through  the  brush  but  the  thick- 
ness of  the  copse  saved  us  many  lives.  Our  regiment  was  pro- 
tected by  a  long  log  behind  which  we  lay.  William  and  I  first 
got  over  it,  but  concluding  that  it  was  too  warm,  we  hastily 
scampered  back.  The  bullets  pelted  against  the  log  like  hail- 
stones. Philo  Handy,  my  right  hand  man,  was  shot  and  badly 
wounded.  Soon  our  batteries  were  across  the  bridge  and  their 
well-directed  shots  soon  put  the  enemy  in  rapid  retreat.  In  solid 
phalanx  and  beautiful  order,  we  now  marched  forward,  pursuing 
the  flying  foe.  In  front  of  us  was  a  large  open  field,  toward  the 
center  of  which  arose  a  large  elevation  extending  in  a  ridge  across 
the  whole  space.  To  rush  forward  and  secure  this  position  was 
but  the  work  of  an  instant.  Beyond  the  hill  the  ground  gradu- 
ally sloped  until  it  reached  the  belt  of  wood  which  skirted  the 
field  on  the  east.  Just  in  the  edge  of  the  field,  and  running  par- 
allel with  it  was  a  road  with  an  embankment  of  four  or  five  feet 
on  which  was  a  rail  fence.  Behind  this  naturally  strong  position, 
the  rebels  had  concentrated  their  entire  force  and  made  their  last 
desperate  stand.  Our  skirmishers  were  thrown  forward  and  kept 
up  a  galling  fire  on  the  rebel  artillery,  while  our  artillery  was 
being  planted  on  the  crest  of  the  hill.  We  had  twenty-four  pieces 
in  all  and  they  were  extended  along  the  whole  length  of  the  line, 
the  muzzles  of  the  guns  just  clearing  the  top  of  the  hill  so  that 
the  recoil  would  put  them  back  out  of  range  of  the  enemy's  fire. 
Behind  the  artillery,  our  whole  force  was  now  posted  in  its  sup- 
port. By  peering  over  the  brow  of  the  hill,  we  saw  a  long,  dense 
line  of  rebels  evidently  preparing  for  a  charge.  Each  man 
grasped  his  piece  firmly  and  with  compressed  lips  awaited  the 
dread  moment.  Cautiously  the  rebels  began  to  advance.  Oh,  the 


1862J  84 

awful,  deathlike  silence  of  the  fearful  moment.  Our  artillery  men 
stand  ready  and  at  a  given  signal,  a  sheet  of  fire  and  flame  burst 
forth  from  the  muzzles  of  those  twenty-four  pieces,  'shaking  the 
earth  for  miles  around.  It  was  impossible  for  the  rebel  officers  to 
make  their  men  face  the  music.  Tney  broke  and  sought  the  cover 
of  the  woods. 

A  rapid  and  continual  cannonading  was  now  kept  up  on  each 
side  for  nearly  an  hour.  That  hill  seemed  to  be  ablaze  with  fire 
and  glory.  Our  chief  of  artillery,  Maj.  Campbell,  with  hat  off 
and  sword  waving  rode  furiously  along  the  line  of  artillery, 
encouraging  the  men  and  anon  directing  the  aim  of  some  particular 
piece.  His  eyes  fairly  scintillated  like  coals  of  fire.  Perfectly 
regardless  of  danger,  he  rode  back  and  forth,  a  conspicuous  mark 
for  the  rebel  sharpshooters.  From  our  position,  we  could  see  the 
effect  of  every  shot.  It  was  truly  a  grand  sight.  Gen.  Hurl  but 
watched  the  battle  and  directed  the  movements  as  coolly  and 
calmly  as  though  he  were  on  review  or  parade.  Col.  Hall  of  the 
14th  Illinois,  who  now  commanded  our  brigade  fretted  and  chafed 
because  the  General  would  not  let  him  charge  the] enemy  with  his 
brigade.  Lieut-Col.  Rogers,  commanding  the  15th,  won  honors 
for  himself.  He  was  fierce  as  a  lion.  Always  where  danger  was 
thickest,  but  always  cool  and  collected  and  ready  for  any  emer- 
gency. Before  us  was  a  veteran  army  of  twenty-five  thousand 
men,  commanded  by  their  ablest  Generals — Price  and  Van  Dorn. 
Opposed  to  them  was  our  own  little,  gallant  division,  numbering 
scarcely  four  thousand  men,  henceforth  to  be  known  as  the 
"Fighting  Fourth. "  The  dispirited  and  discouraged  rebels  were 
not  proof  against  our  vigorous  attack.  They  soon  were  in  rapid 
retreat,  but  we  did  not  pursue  them  any  farther.  Soon  the 
echoing  notes  of  Rosecrans'  artillery  told  us  that  the  rebels  had 
met  their  victorious  foe  of  the  day  before.  There  was  but  one 
road  for  them  to  escape  by,  and  leaving  their  baggage  train  and 
throwing  away  everything,  the  terror  stricken  enemy  broke  up  in 
squads  and  ran  for  dear  life.  Thus  ended  the  memorable  battle 
of  Corinth  and  Matamora.  Col.  Turner,  who  had  not  been  able  to 
march  with  the  regiment,  after  the  fighting  was  over,  came  up  and 
took  command.  We  never  ascertained  the  rebel  loss  in  this 
engagement,  as  they  succeeded  in  carrying  off  all  of  their  wounded 
and  burying  most  of  their  dead,  but  it  must  have  been  far  greater 
than  ours  which  was  four  hundred  and  fifty,  killed  and  wounded. 


•85  [1862 

Only  seven  of  the  15th  were  wounded,  and  when  General  Hurlbut 
was  asked  how  it  was  that  his  favorite  regiments,  meaning  the 
14th  and  15th,  escaped  with  so  little  loss,  he  replied  that  they 
were  so  near  the  enemy's  guns  that  the  shots  all  went  over  their 
heads  and  fell  amongst  the  rear  regiments,  and  this  was  true,  for 
certain  it  was  that  we  were  in  the  lead  all  day  and  suffered  the 
least  of  any  regiment.  This  battle  was  fought  Sunday,  October 
4th,  1862,  the  birthday  of  sister  Zine.  We  now  busied  ourselves 
taking  care  of  our  wounded  and  burying  our  dead,  which  look  us 
until  nearly  dark.  Rollin,  Milton  and  Simon  Smith  came  in  with  a 
good  porker  for  supper.  It  was  a  welcome  addition  to  our 
scanty  rations.  In  emergencies  like  this,  we  could  always  depend 
upon  Roll  and  Milt  to  replenish  our  stock  of  provisions.  They 
could  not  be  beaten  in  the  foraging  line. 

On  the  5th  we  started  on  our  return  and  on  the  6th  we  were  in 
our  old  camp  highly  jubilant  at  our  success.  As  was  usual  on 
such  occasions  congratulatory  and  complimentary  orders  were 
given.  In  Gen.  Hurlbut's  order  he  paid  a  high  compliment  to  the 
4th  division  and  did  credit  to  himself  by  declaring  that  whatever 
military  fame  he  possessed  was  due  to  the  4th  division  and  not  to 
any  special  merit  of  his  own.  One  day  a  citizen  asked  Hurlbut 
what  name  he  was  going  to  give  the  late  battle.  "Hell  on  the 
Hatchie"  was  his  prompt  reply,  and  Col.  Rogers  had  it  inscribed 
on  the  battle  flag  of  the  15th  and  although  it  did  not  show  good 
taste,  it  suited  a  majority  of  the  regiment. 

The  chaplain  expostulated  against  this  inscription,  but  it  was 
in  accordance  with  the  Colonel's  nature  and  he  would  not  change 
it.  The  inscription  pleased  Gen.  Hurlbut.  The  General  was  heard 
to  say  that  when  he  received  his  orders  previous  to  the  battle,  he 
never  expected  to  get  through  with  his  command.  He  was  ordered 
to  relieve  Rosecrans  at  all  hazards  or  sacrifice  his  army  in  the 
attempt,  but  thanks  to  his  generalship  and  the  fighting  qualities  of 
his  4th  division,  he  came  triumphantly  back. 


1862]  86 


CHAPTER    XI. 

October  14th. 

Gen.  Hurl  but  was  now  relieved  of  his  command  and  ordered  to 
report  to  Jackson,  Tennessee,  to  assume  command  of  the  military 
district  embraced  in  that  section.  It  was  with  unfeigned  regret 

O  O 

that  we  were  forced  to  part  with  him.  Brevet  Brigadier-General 
James  B.  McPherson  was  ordered  to  assume  command  of  the 
division,  a  soldier  who  in  every  respect  proved  himself  worthy  of 
the  best  honors  a  grateful  country  could  bestow.  From  captain 
and  chief  of  artillery  on  Grant's  staff,  he  rapidly  rose  in  position 
until  he  commanded  the  invincible  army  of  the  Tennessee  and 
finally  laid  down  his  life  in  the  bloody  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek 
before  Atlanta.  When  he  assumed  command  of  the  division,  the 
boys  were  nearly  all  prejudiced  against  him  as  they  were  against  all 
West  Point  graduates,  but  when  we  learned  the  many  noble  quali- 
ties that  he  possessed,  our  dislike  changed  into  esteem  and  later, 
when  we  saw  his  matchless  skill  as  a  military  leader,  and  above  all, 
his  great  kindness  to  his  soldiers  to  whose  appeals  for  justice  he 
never  turned  a  deaf  ear,  our  esteem  amounted  to  almost  venera- 
tion, and  soon  McPherson's  name  became  synonymous  with  all  that 
was  good  and  noble — a  perfect  gentleman  in  every  respect  and 
every  inch  a  soldier.  He  had  few  equals  and  less  superiors. 
Troops  began  to  concentrate  here  and  active  preparations  were 
being  made  for  a  fall  campaign  into  the  heart  of  the  rebellion.  Our 
decimated  ranks  were  being  filled  up  by  new  troops  under  the  five 
hundred  thousand  called  in  July.  We  now  marched  to  Lagrange 
where  the  final  preparations  were  to  be  made.  We  had  not  pro- 
ceeded far  on  the  first  day's  march  before  Col.  Turner  received  a 
dispatch  announcing  that  his  resignation  had  been  accepted.  The 
regiment  halted  and  with  visible  emotion,  he  bade  farewell  to  it. 

O  ' 

To  which,  in  behalf  of  the  regiment,  Col.  Rogers  responded. 
Despite  the  ill-will  existing  against  him  by  many,  he  had  noble 
traits  of  character  which  any  true  man  could  not  help  but  admire. 
The  boys  on  this  march  committed  those  acts  of  lawlessness  which 
wanton  soldiers  indulge  in.  Amongst  others,  they  burned  the 
fences  all  along  the  route.  All  the  efforts  of  the  officers  to  find 


8T  [1862 

the  incendiaries  proved  unavailing.  On  the  third  day  the  regi- 
ment was  back  again  in  its  old  quarters.  The  15th  regiment  was 
soon  detailed  to  guard  Ball's  Bridge,  a  place  one  and  one-half  miles 
from  camp. 

October  15th. 

This  was  an  agreeable  duty  as  it  enabled  the  boys  to  forage  with- 
out being  subject  to  the  restraints  of  picket  and  camp  rules.  A 
good  number  of  the  boys  went  into  a  private  speculation  by  con- 
fiscating cotton  and  then  selling  it  on  the  sly.  About  this  time 
the  95th  Illinois  joined  the  army.  Seven  companies  of  this  regi- 
ment were  raised  in  McHenry  County  and  three  in  Boone,  and 
many  of  our  friends  and  acquaintances  were  in  it,  amongst  whom 
I  will  mention  Asahel  Eddy,  Wif.  Mallory,  Dan  Mitchell  and 
Jimmie  Williams.  The  72d  Illinois  Infantry  was  now  added  to  our 
brigade,  making  in  all  five  regiments,  still  under  command  of 
Gen.  Veatch,  whom  the  boys  had  learned  to  love  as  a  father,  but 
they  had  not  yet  gotten  over  the  disposition  to  play  off  jokes  on 
him.  One  dark,  stormy  night,  a  squad  of  the  15th  was  on  guard 
at  his  headquarters,  and  while  some  were  lurking  around  to  see 
what  they  could  steal,  they  spied  the  General's  jug  of  bitters  in  his 
tent  and  they  immediately  concocted  a  plan  to  relieve  him  of  them 
and  place  a  substitute  in  their  place.  It  being  quite  cold  without, 
the  boys  felt  greatly  the  need  of  something  stimulating  within.  So 
after  all  had  retired  to  rest,  one  of  the  guard  cautiously  lifted  the 
lent  and  extracted  the  jug  and  under  the  frequent  draughts  of  the 
guard,  the  bitters  rapidly  disappeared.  The  boys  then  filled  the 
jug  with  water  and  put  it  back  in  its  old  place.  The  General  arose 
early,  and  as  was  his  custom,  repaired  to  the  jug  to  take  his  morn- 
ing beverage.  The  boys  could  hardly  refrain  from  laughing  out- 
right when  they  saw  the  General's  perplexed  look.  He  smelled  a 
rat  but  said  nothing  then,  and  he  fooled  his  whole  staff  by  treating 
them  with  water,  slightly  diluted  with  whisky.  They  all  had  a 
hearty  laugh  over  it.  When  the  General  questioned  the  guard 
concerning  the  missing  bitters,  they  were  all  professedly  ignorant, 
but  he  was  well  satisfied  as  to  where  his  bitters  went.  Soon  after, 
the  14th,  not  to  be  outdone  by  their  brothers  as  they  termed  the 
loth,  one  night  stole  a  nice  leg  of  mutton  from  the  General,  and 
the  bleeting  that  greeted  his  ears  when  he  passed  the  regiment, 
told  him  pretty  plainly  where  his  mutton  went.  On  one  occasion, 
1  had  charge  of  headquarter  guard.  The  night  was  very  stormy. 


1862]  88 

A  few  choice  spirits,  wearing  shoulder  straps,  had  congregated  in 
Dr.  Stevenson's  tent  and  were  making  themselves  merry  over  the 
Doctor's  wine,  singing  songs  and  telling  stories.  They  carried  on 
their  carousal  until  long  past  midnight,  and  then  all  except  Capt. 
Cox,  the  adjutant,  retired,  but  he  had  just  got  enough  down  to 
make  him  feel  funny,  and  he  came  out  where  1  was  and  entertained 
me  with  extravagant  stories  about  his  bravery  and  how  much  he 
thought  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the  army,  to  all  of  which  I  assented. 
He  thought  me  a  very  clever  fellow  and  wanted  I  should  go  into 
his  tent  and  take  a  drink  with  him.  When  I  told  him  that  I  never 
drank  liquor  he  seemed  surprised,  and  wanted  to  know  what  I  was 
made  of. 

He  then  went  on  to  tell  me  a  great  secret  which  he  made  me 
promise  to  keep.  He  said  that  he  knew  where  there  was  a  large 
quantity  of  cotton  secreted  and  he  was  going  now  to  secure  it  and 
hang  the  rebels  who  owned  it.  I  did  not  think  that  he  was  in 
earnest,  much  less  that  he  would  venture  out  this  stormy  night, 
but  he  roused  his  hostler  and  bade  him  saddle  his  horse  and  then 
roused  up  a  couple  of  his  orderlies  to  accompany  him.  There  was 
some  tall  swearing  by  the  orderlies  when  they  learned  what  was 
required  of  them.  Soon  his  horse  was  saddled  and  he  mounted 
and  ran  up  and  down  the  road  through  mud  and  water.  He  said 
that  he  was  trying  his  horse  to  see  if  it  was  all  right.  He  then 
rode  his  horse  into  his  tent  and  over  his  clerk,  Ed.  Harrison.  By 
this  time,  his  orderlies  were  ready  and  off  they  went  in  the  rain 
and  mud  at  a  breakneck  pace,  but  when  he  arrived  opposite  our 
quarters,  he  altered  his  mind,  woke  up  Col.  Rogers,  dismissed  his 
orderlies,  and  stayed  with  the  15th  until  morning.  Such,  my 
readers,  is  a  sample  of  many  of  our  officers.  The  next  day  our 
division  went  out  on  a  reconnoisance  toward  Holly  Springs.  The 
15th  only  went  six  or  eight  miles  as  it  was  necessary  for  us  to 
return  and  guard  the  bridge.  The  enemy  was  found  to  be  strongly 
posted  at  Coldwater.  Preparations  were  made  now  for  a  forward 
movement  and  soon  Grant's  army  was  on  the  move.  The  enemy 
retreated  in  great  haste  as  we  advanced.  Near  Holly  Springs  we 
got  a  slight  skirmish  out  of  their  rear  guard.  When  we  arrived 
at  that  place,  Col.  Rogers  was  offered  the  position  to  command  the 
post  and  garrison  it  with  his  regiment,  but  he  preferred  to 
accompany  the  army  and  that  traitor,  Murphy,  of  the  109th  Illi- 
nois was  left  in  command. 


89  [1862 

November  1st. 

We  continued  to  push  the  enemy  until  they  crossed  the  Talla- 
hatchie.  Here  they  seemed  disposed  to  make  a  stand,  and  well 
they  might.  The  place  was  impregnable  against  a  direct  assault; 
bound  on  three  sides  by  a  broad  and  impassable  swamp,  with  a 
deep,  muddy  river,  backed  by  the  strongest  fortifications  I  had 
ever  seen,  but  the  invincible  Sherman  soon  flanked  them  with  his 
division  and  they  beat  a  precipitate  retreat.  So  rapidly  now  did 
we  press  them  that  their  rear  guard  and  our  advance  guard  were 
constantly  skirmishing.  Soon  the  beautiful  city  of  Oxford  was 
reached  and  we  marched  triumphantly  through  its  streets.  We 
were  now  within  twenty  five  miles  of  Grenada,  where  it  was  sup- 
posed that  the  rebels  would  make  a  stand.  We  had  them  .now 
where  they  were  compelled  to  fight  us  to  cover  their  retreat,  but 
about  this  time,  the  news  of  the  surrender  of  Holly  Springs 
reached  us.  This  put  a  stop  to  further  operations  for  the 
present. 

November  4th. 

For  a  week  we  lay  undecided  what  to  do.  The  boys  were 
getting  discontented.  Nothing  will  annoy  a  soldier  more  than  to 
have  his  ration  line  cut  off,  and  Gen.  Lauman,  who  now  com- 
manded our  division,  gave  strict  orders  against  foraging,  but  of 
little  use  were  his  orders.  Some  of  the  boys,  to  show  their  appre- 
ciation of  his  orders,  stole  him  blind  one  night  while  on  guard  at 
his  headquarters.  He  never  again  called  for  a  detail  from  the 
15th  to  guard  his  quarters.  From  that  time  a  strong  dislike 
sprang  up  between  Lauman  and  the  regiment.  Gen.  McPherson 
had  been  appointed  to  command  one  wing  of  the  army.  We  had 
marched  fifty  miles  south  of  Holly  Springs  and  twelve  on  the 
direct  route  to  Grenada  and  Vicksburg. 

November  10th. 

The  former  was  the  objective  point,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the 
base  treachery  of  the  commandant  of  Holly  Springs  in  so  ignobly 
permitting  the  rebels  to  come  in  and  destroy  millions  of  rations, 
an  immense  amount  of  clothing,  tear  up  the  railroads,  etc.,  our 
campaign  would  have  been  a  glorious  one,  and  Vicksburg  would 
have  been  added  to  our  list  of  conquests  long  before  it  was.  Gen. 
Sherman's  division  did  not  march  any  farther  than  the  Tallahat- 
chie.  but  went  back  to  Memphis  and  took  transports  and  went 
down  the  river  to  co-operate  with  Grant  from  that  quarter. 

e 


1862]  90 

November  14tb. 

We  now  kept  shifting  position  and  performing  those  uncertain 
movements  so  perplexing  to  a  soldier.  Some  of  the  boys  became 
almost  desperate.  Restricted  on  our  rations,  all  communication 
cut  off,  and  with  no  prospects  of  getting  any  more  very  soon,  and 
surrounded  by  a  relentless  horde  of  rebel  cavalry,  our  situation 
was  anything  but  pleasant.  The  boys  commenced  an  indiscrimi- 
nate foraging  with  an  avidity  that  knew  no  limits.  In  many  places 
gold  was  found  which  the  rebels  had  buried  before  leaving  for 
the  war  to  prevent  its  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Yankees,  but  a 
little  coaxing  would  induce  the  head  darkey  on  the  plantation  to 
divulge  its  hiding  place.  On  the  15th  the  whole  army  was  coun- 
termarching and  the  15th  was  rear  guard.  We  were  harrassed  a 
good  deal  by  the  rebel  cavalry  who  were  watching  for  an  oppor- 
tunity to  capture  our  baggage  train.  Our  knapsacks  were  carried 
and  we  were  in  light  marching  order  and  the  rebs  would  have  had 
hard  work  to  have  gotten  the  start  of  us.  Our  route  lay  through 
a  splendid  country,  the  best  in  the  state.  It  was  well  watered  and 
timbered.  On  the  streams  were  numerous  mills  which  we  made 
use  of  in  grinding  corn.  In  this  way  our  army  was  enabled 
to  subsist  without  drawing  heavily  on  our  commissary.  One 
morning,  just  before  marching,  a  very  serious  affray  occurred  in 
•Company  F.  Two  men,  Ser.  Hill  and  Ser.  ,  got  into  a  dis- 
pute about  some  trifling  matter.  Words  led  to  blows  and  — 
drew  his  knife  and,  before  any  of  us  could  interfere,  stabbed  Hill 
through  the  abdomen.  The  wound  was  supposed  to  be  mortal  and 
the  surgeon  left  him  at  a  plantation  near  Springdale.  One  of  his 
•comrades  volunteered  to  stay  and  nurse  him.  It  was  a  noble  act. 
The  would-be  murderer  was  arrested  on  the  spot.  A  double  guard 
was  placed  around  him,  but  notwithstanding,  he  made  his  escape. 
He  went  back  to  .his  wounded  victim,  asked  and  received  his 
pardon  for  his  rash  act;  nursed  him  until  he  was  nearly  well  and 
then  left  for  the  rebel  army.  The  other  two  men  were  made 
prisoners,  paroled  and  eventually  got  back  to  the  regiment.  We 
halted  when  within  ten  miles  of  Abbeyville,  and  camped  for 
several  days  in  order  to  repair  the  bridge  across  the  Tallahatchie. 
Our  men  were  reduced  to  one-quarter  rations.  Indeed,  some  were 
entirely  without  hard  bread  and  the  pangs  of  hunger  actually  began 
to  gnaw  at  our  vitals.  The  country  round  about  was  poor  and 
barren.  All  we  could  find  was  the  small  pea-beans,  but  luckily 


91  [1862 

some  of  our  boys  made  a  raise  of  some  meal.  So  we  got  along 
much  better  than  some  of  the  others.  The  line  and  field  officers 
shared  our  privations. 

November  21st. 

We  were  soon  enabled  to  cross  the  river.  The  cars  ran  up  as 
far  as  the  bridge.  We  now  got  a  scant  supply  of  rations,  but  a 
good  many  had  eaten  their  last  mouthful  before  the  supply  came. 
We  camped  that  night  on  an  open  plain  and  we  had  to  go  a  mile 
for  wood  to  cook  onr  suppers.  Soon  a  train  came  along.  It  was  a 
glad  sight  for  us.  Visions  of  plenty  now  began  to  float  before  our 
eyes  and  we  were  content.  We  now  proceeded  as  far  as  Water- 
town,  where  oar  regiment  was  left  as  a  garrison.  We  found  com- 
fortable quarters  that  the  regiment  before  us  had  occupied  and 
soon  we  were  comfortably  established.  This  place  was  now  used 
as  a  kind  of  depot  for  supplies  and  in  addition  to  guarding  this,  we 
had  heavy  picket  duty  to  perform  and  it  required  every  man  who 
was  able  to  do  duty.  Our  orders  were  very  strict.  Rebel  cavalry 
were  prowling  about.  Every  non-commissioned  officer  in  charge 
of  posts  received  written  instructions.  The  boys  foraged  here  on 
a  pretty  extensive  scale  and  they  ran  great  risk  of  being  captured. 

November  21st. 

But  we  had  got  to  be  pretty  bold  now  and  would  as  soon  meet 
with  a  little  adventure  as  not.  A  great  many  of  the.  boys  adopted 
a  new  style.  Instead  of  asking  now,  they  demanded,  or  went  right 
in  without  saying  a  word.  They  would  slaughter  a  man's  hogs 
right  before  his  eyes  and  if  he  made  a  fuss,  cold  steel  would  soon 
put  a  quietus  on  him.  Although  this  mode  is  highly  censurable 
and  cannot  be  justified,  yet,  there  were  many  rank  rebels  who  had 
from  three  to  five  years'  stock  of  provisions  stored  away  and 
would  lie  to  the  boys  and  tell  them  they  were  in  a  starving  con- 
dition, hence  some  resorted  to  this  summary  way  of  dealing  with 
them.  If  this  practice  had  been  carried  out  only  on  that  kind  of 
characters  it  would  not  have  looked  so  bad,  but  there  were  unprin- 
cipled soldiers  who  had  not  the  least  particle  of  humanity  about 
them.  They  would  rob  rich  and  poor,  old  age  and  youth,  widows 
and  orphans,  and  weak  and  helpless  alike.  I  have  time  and  again 
seen  a  poor,  lonely  woman  with  a  house  full  of  little  ones,  on  her 
knees,  begging  these  wretches  not  to  take  the  last  mouthful  from 
her  starving  children,  and  perhaps  when  they  left,  she  would  be 
houseless  and  homeless,  left  with  her  little  ones  to  starve,  unless 


1862]  92 

some  kind  hand  would  succor  them.  With  a  clear  conscience,  I 
can  appeal  to  the  Great  Judge  of  All  that  I  never  yet  defrauded 
weak  and  helpless  women  and  that,  when  possible,  I  tried  to  save 
them.  It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  our  officers  would  allow  these 
depredations,  and  when  found  out,  the  wretches  were  severely 
punished.  It  was  a  great  source  of  mortification  to  us  that  Com- 
pany D  possessed  one  of  these  characters.  No  true  soldier  would 
ever  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  distress  even  though  it  came  from  our 
enemy.  While  we  were  at  Watertown  Lieut. -Col.  Rogers  received 
his  commission  as  Colonel  of  the  regiment  and  feeling  pretty  well 
over  it,  he  thought,  to  use  an  army  phase,  "he  would  wet  it," 
that  is,  treat  his  friends.  So  gathering  a  few  (November  30th) 
choice  friends  about  him,  they  had  a  regular  "time,"  and  to  use  a 
common  expression,  "got  pretty  well  sprung."  Soon  after,  while 
returning  from  a  visit  to  one  of  his  particular  friends  and  feeling 
pretty  well,  he  thought  that  he  would  "cut  a  swell."  He  mounted 
his  horse  and  rode  at  a  furious  rate  down  the  railroad,  never  stop- 
ping for  bridges  or  culverts.  He  would  make  his  horse  jump 
them  or  walk  the  stringers,  but  he  came  to  one  place  which  more 
than  taxed  the  gallant  steed's  power.  He  just  cleared  the  culvert 
and  fell  headlong,  throwing  the  Colonel  over  his  head,  striking  his 
head  on  a  railroad  iron,  gashing  it  horribly.  He  was  picked  up 
for  dead,  but  it  is  an  old  saying  that  "a  drunken  man  was  never 
known  to  be  killed  by  accident."  So  it  proved  in  this  case.  He 
recovered,  but  it  left  a  long  scar  on  his  face. 


93  [1862 


CHAPTER  XII. 

December  10th. 

We  now  rejoined  our  division  and  marched  to  Holly  Springs. 
The  rebels  had  burned  the  best  part  of  the  place,  but  there  was 
still  enough  left  to  make  a  splendid  looking  place.  It  was  now 
filled  with  a  set  of  regular  sharpers,  hangers-on  of  the  army.  There 
were  a  large  number  of  sutler  stands  and  stores  put  up  in  antici- 
pation of  the  army  soon  arriving.  The  26th  Illinois  Volunteers, 
commanded  by  Col.  Loomis,  was  garrisoning  the  town.  A  few  of 
the  roguishly  inclined  boys  in  our  brigade  were  bent  on  a  spree. 
They  had  been  to  Holly  Springs  so  many  times  on  a  utom  fool'' 
errand  that  they  were  determined  on  revenge  now.  So  one  night 
they  went  to  town  and  raised  the  deuce  generally.  The  patrol  of 
the  town  could  not  do  anything  with  them.  Col.  Loomis  was 
sent  for  and  he  attempted  to  awe  them  into  submission,  but  inglor- 
iously  failed.  He  drew  his  revolver  and  threatened  to  shoot  into 
the  crowd  and  struck  one  of  the  soldiers  with  the  flat  of  his  sword. 
The  boys  could  not  stand  this,  so  they  pitched  in  and  cleaned  out 
the  guard  and  brick- batted  Col.  Loomis  back  to  his  quarters.  In 
a  towering  rage,  he  now  called  out  his  whole  regiment  and  was 
going  to  arrest  everyone,  at  the  same  time  sending  word  to  our 
brigade  commander  how  his  men  were  acting. 

In  the  meantime,  some  of  the  boys  in  camp  had  learned  how 
matters  stood  and  went  down  and  informed  the  boys  in  town, 
so  they  all  hurried  up  to  their  quarters.  Orders  were  issued  to 
have  roll-call  all  through  the  brigade,  and  report  to  brigade  head- 
quarters all  absentees.  The  men  were  all  there  to  answer  to  their 
names,  and  so  Col.  Hall  reported  to  Col.  Loomis  that  all  his  men 
were  in  camp.  Loomis  hated  our  brigade  after  that.  He  gave 
us  the  name  of  "  Lauman's  mob."  Of  course,  all  good  soldiers 
were  deeply  mortified  at  the  conduct  of  these  men.  Thus  it  always 
was  that  a  few  bad  characters  in  a  regiment  would  bring  disgrace 
upon  its  reputation,  but  taking  our  regiment,  as  a  general  thing, 
they  were  as  noble  a  set  of  men  as  could  be  found.  We  had  men 
from  all  the  walks  of  life  in  the  ranks,  from  the  lawyer  to  the 
common  laborer,  authors,  poets  and  mechanics  of  all  kinds,  but 


1862]  94 

there  were  about  a  dozen  men  in  the  regiment  that  were  a  pest  and 
curse  to  us  and  they  were  continually  getting  into  scrapes.  These 
rascals,  the  night  before  we  left  Holly  Springs,  set  it  on  fire,  not- 
withstanding the  watchfulness  of  the  guard,  and  in  the  confusion 
occasioned  by  the  fire,  they  stole  everything  valuable  that  they 
could  lay  their  hands  on;  but  one  would  have  thought,  to  have 
seen  them,  that  they  were  the  most  active  ones  in  trying  to  extin- 
guish the  flames.  They  would  rush  into  the  burning  buildings 
with  the  ostensible  purpose  of  putting  out  the  fire,  but  they  were 
seen  to  come  out  loaded  with  plunder.  After  this,  if  anyone  in  the 
army  had  anything  nice  about  him  he  would  be  asked  if  there  had 
been  a  fire  somewhere. 

December  29th. 

The  next  day,  on  the  march,  one  of  the  staff-officers  caught  one 
of  our  boys  with  a  plug  hat  on.  He  rode  up  to  him,  snatched  it 
off  and  threw  it  into  the  mud.  The  fellow  belonged  to  our  com- 
pany and  not  relishing  such  treatment,  he  sprang  for  the  officer 
and  would  have  thrashed  him  on  the  spot  if  someone  had  not  inter- 
fered. The  officer  drew  his  revolver  and  was  going  to  shoot.  This 
act  of  his  aroused  the  ire  of  the  other  boys  and  they  compelled  him 
to  put  it  up.  A  general  melee  now  seemed  inevitable,  but  our 
officers  finally  succeeded  in  quieting  the  men.  We  camped  near 
Holly  Springs  for  several  days  longer  and  then  took  up  a  line  of 
march  for  Moscow.  The  4th  division  was  ordered  to  guard  the 
Memphis  &  Charleston,  railroad  between  Lagrange  and  Memphis. 
We  supposed  that  our  quarters  would  be  at  Moscow,  but  there  was 
a  misunderstanding  and  we  were  ordered  to  Lafayette,  twenty 
miles  farther  toward  Memphis,  and  when  within  a  few  miles  of 
that  place,  we  were  ordered  to  countermarch  back  to  Moscow.  It 
was  late  when  we  pitched  our  camp  and  we  got  into  a  mud-hole 
and  could  not  get  out  until  morning. 

December  31st. 

The  next  morning  we  arose  from  our  watery  bed,  amidst  a  per- 
fect shower  of  rain,  packed  up  and  resumed  our  march. 

January  1st,  1863. 

I  never  saw  it  rain  harder  in  my  life  than  it  did  that  morning, 
and  it  continued  to  rain  the  most  part  of  the  day.  Ravines  and 
gulches  that  we  passed  over  dry-shod  the  day  before,  were  now 
filled  with  water  rushing  in  torrents  from  down  the  hillsides  and 
valleys,  and,  in  some  places,  the  mules  had  to  swim  in  order  to 


95  [1863 

cross.  We  had  heavy  knapsacks  to  carry,  and  that,  in  addition  to 
our  guns  and  other  accoutrements  and  thoroughly  soaked  clothing, 
made  our  load  quite  heavy,  but,  for  all  that,  the  boys  jogged  along 
as  happy  as  larks.  The  harder  it  rained  the  louder  would  we  sing 
and  shout  and  crack  our  jokes. 

By  an  unlucky  accident  I  was  the  means  of  furnishing  a  good 
joke  which  rather  put  the  laugh  on  me.  When  we  came  up  to 
these  streams,  the  boys  usually  scattered  to  find  a  convenient 
place  for  crossing.  Some  would  undertake  to  cross  on  rails  and 
would  be  precipitated  into  the  stream.  Charlie  Mitchell  lost  a 
gun  but  saved  himself.  I  sat  and  watched  them  for  a  while, 
laughing  until  my  sides  ached.  Finally  I  got  up  and  thought  that 
I  would  show  them  a  trick,  which  consisted  in  a  rash  attempt  to 
jump  the  stream,  selecting  as  narrow  a  place  as  I  could  find,  some 
twelve  or  fourteen  feet  across.  The  boys  ranged  themselves  along- 
side to  see  me  make  the  leap.  So  preparing  myself  and  straining 
every  nerve,  I  rushed  forward,  and  just  as  I  made  the  spring  my 
foot  slipped  and  I  went  in  on  all  fours,  frog  fashion,  disappearing 
entirely,  except  my  knapsack.  After  floundering  about  a  few 
seconds  I  managed  to  get  on  terra  firma,  and  such  a  shout  of 
laughter  as  greeted  my  ears  I  never  heard  before.  After  puffing 
and  blowing  for  awhile  I  joined  in  the  laugh,  for  I  saw  that  the 
joke  was  on  me  and  I  determined  to  make  the  most  of  it.  Creeks 
and  rivers  did  not  annoy  me  any  more  that  day.  I  waded  through 
regardless  of  consequences,  but  strange  to  say,  I  did  not  take  cold, 
although  it  was  midwinter.  The  river  was  so  swollen  that  we 
could  not  cross  to  Moscow,  so  we  camped  two  miles  west  of  that 
place.  We  got  in  camp  about  an  hour  before  sundown.  Near  us 
was  a  large  plantation  with  a  number  of  outhouses,  and  no  sooner 
had  we  stacked  arms  than  the  boys  made  for  these  buildings, 
and,  as  if  by  magic,  they  disappeared  in  a  twinkling,  before  the 
officers  could  interfere.  My  mess  got  a  goodly  share,  and  William 
and  I  made  us  a  bunk  to  sleep  on.  The  officers  did  not  attempt 
to  interfere.  They  were  too  glad  to  get  a  share  themselves,  and 
if  any  fuss  was  made  about  it,  the  regiment  would  pay  for  it. 
Soon  we  had  a  rousing  fire  built  and  our  wet  garments  were 
steaming  before  its  ruddy  blaze.  Our  tents  now  came  up  and 
soon  our  camp  was  formed.  While  we  were  standing  about  the 
fire  we  spied  a  tine  drove  of  shoats,  about  a  half  mile  off,  which 
we  thought  would  make  good  roasters.  So  dispatching  our  most 


1863]  96 

expert  foragers,  Roll  and  Milt,  from  our  mess,  they  sallied  out 
and  soon  every  one  of  those  pigs  were  slain.  Our  mess  secured 
four  of  them,  and  in  less  than  thirty  minutes  they  were  in  our 
bake  ovens,  stewing  before  a  hot  fire.  It  was  an  excellent  dish, 
and  my  readers  can  form  some  idea  of  the  state  of  our  appetites 
when  I  tell  them  that  our  mess  of  fifteen  devoured  them.  Our 
cook,  William  Underwood,  surpassed  himself  that  night.  He 
always  could  get  a  good  meal  on  short  notice,  and  this  was  our 
New  Year's  feast.  By  the  time  our  supper  was  dispatched,  our 
garments  were  dry,  and  spending  a  short  time  around  the  camp 
fire  cracking  jokes  and  telling  stories,  the  time  flew  by.  Occasion- 
ally they  had  to  remind  me  of  my  mishap,  and  Charlie  about  losing 
his  gun.  Finally  we  retired  to  rest  well  satisfied  with  ourselves 
and  all  the  rest,  and  the  arms  of  Morpheus  soon  held  the  camp  in 
its  sweet  embrace. 

January  2d. 

On  awakening  the  next  morning  we  found  six  inches  of  snow 
on  the  ground,  and  scarcely  were  our  preparations  for  breakfast 
made  before  we  received  marching  orders  back  to  Lafayette.  To 
say  that  there  was  some  pretty  rough  swearing  when  this  order 
was  received,  would  but  faintly  express  the  truth.  Scarcely  an 
hour  had  elapsed  after  receiving  the  order  before  we  were  travers- 
ing the  same  road  we  traveled  the  day  before,  but  now  we  had  to 
wade  in  the  snow  and  mud,  and  our  march  was  very  difficult. 
Many  of  the  boys,  having  shoes,  their  feet  were  soon  soaking 
wet. 

We  arrived  at  Lafayette  about  sundown,  and  now,  as  if  to  add 
to  our  already  overcharged  patience,  a  portion  of  the  regiment  was 
ordered  to  go  on  picket,  supperless  and  worn  out.  Some  of  the 
boys  invented  a  new  string  of  oaths  expressly  for  this  occasion. 
Although  I  did  not  swear,  I  thought  horrible  things  and  wished 
that  the  inhuman  wretch  that  gave  the  order  was  anywhere  but  on 
this  earth.  Lieut.  Paxton,  Ser.  Sedam  of  Company  C  and  myself 
were  sent  out  in  charge  of  one  company.  We  relieved  Logan's 
men  and  they  marched  that  very  night  for  Memphis.  Just  in 
front  of  our  line  was  a  large  cotton  gin  and  other  buildings,  and 
our  Lieutenant,  with  a  perfect  recklessness  which  was  inexcusable 
under  any  circumstances,  ordered  his  men  to  take  possession  of 
them,  which  brought  his  videttes  in  rear  of  the  reserve.  If  any 
picket  officer  had  happened  around  that  night,  or  if  I  had  chosen 


97  [1863 

to  report  him,  it  would  nave  been  the  last  picket  he  would  ever 
have  stood.  As  if  to  add  still  deeper  to  his  disgrace,  he  permitted 
his  men  to  go  out  foraging,  leaving  only  a  very  few  on  post,  and 
finally  to  cap  the  climax,  the  men  soon  returned  with  a  large  quan- 
tity of  old  cider — so  strong  that  one  good  drink  would  make  a 
person  dizzy.  Although  it  almost  scorches  my  pen  to  write  it,yet 
truth  compels  me  to  say  that  every  person  except  two  on  that  post 
got  drunk  and  all  night  long  reveled  in  a  drunken  spree.  The  two 
sober  persons  were  Charlie  Mitchell  and  myself,  and  on  us  alone 
the  safety  of  that  part  of  the  line  depended.  Sleep  was  far  from 
rny  eyelids.  Any  small  force  could  have  come  in  and  captured 
the  whole  of  us.  It  would  have  been  utterly  impossible  to  have 
rallied  the  men  in  case  of  &n  attack.  Had  it  not  been  for  some 
extenuating  circumstances,  I  would  have  reported  the  conduct  of 
the  men,  but  it  seems  that  the  picket  officer  himself  was  negligent 
of  his  duty  for  he  never  made  his  appearance.  It  was  a  good 
thing  for  us  that  he  did  not.  I  went  the  rounds  at  midnight  and 
found  a  fire  at  every  post  except  one  and  all  asleep  except  Charlie. 
I  had  a  hard  job  of  it  to  wake  up  the  next  relief — all  were  in  a 
drunken  stupor.  I  finally  got  them  up,  but  they  were  no  better 
than  dead  men.  I  don't  think  that  there  was  ever  a  more  dis- 
graceful picket  duty  performed,  but  I  kept  my  skirts  clear,  unless 
some  would  have  considered  it  my  duty  to  have  reported  them,  but 
as  I  said  before,  there  were  some  extenuating  circumstances,  but 
nothing  to  justify  so  total  a  neglect  of  duty,  thus  endangering  the 
lives  of  a  whole  camp.  I  did  not  like  to  have  anybody's  death  lay 
on  my  hands  and  death  might  have  been  the  penalty. 

January  5th. 

I  now  unwillingly  gave  the  boys  another  chance  to  get  the  joke 
on  me.  Just  across  the  creek  from  us  was  a  large  number  of  negro 
huts,  and  while  looking  around  the  night  before,  I  saw  several 
bake  kettles  lying  around,  and  as  our  mess  stood  greatly  in  need 
of  one,  I  thought  that  I  would  take  one.  So,  just  before  daylight, 
1  crossed  over  and  got  one.  While  re-crossing  the  creek  on  a  log, 
my  foot  slipped  and  I  fell  in.  They  had  it  that  I  was  so  drunk  I 
could  not  walk  straight  and  tumbled  into  the  water,  but,  however,  I 
brought  in  the  bake  kettle,  and  as  it  was  full  of  snow  and  ice,  I 
put  it  over  the  hre  to  thaw  out,  when, to  my  chagrin  and  disappoint- 
ment the  bottom  came  out.  This  only  made  the  joke  more 
pointed.  They  said  I  was  so  drunk  that  I  did  not  know  the  bottom 


1863]  98 

of  the  kettle  was  gone.  I  bore  their  raillery  in  good  humor. 
Charlie  was  also  implicated  with  me  and  had  to  stand  his  share  of 
the  joke.  When  we  got  into  camp,  the  affair  was  repeated  with 
considerable  gusto.  It  pleased  the  boys  amazingly  that  "Dad," 
as  they  familiarly  termed  me,  and  Charlie  should  get  tight,  but 
we  knew  that  not  one  believed  it,  so  we  we-re  content.  Their  own 
disgraceful  conduct  was  still  too  fresh  in  their  memory,  and  they 
knew  that  we  could  cause  them  considerable  trouble,  so  they 
did  not  carry  the  joke  too  far,  but  whenever  an  occasion  occurred, 
they  never  failed  to  remind  me  of  the  bake  kettle  joke. 

The  2d  brigade  now  became  fairly  established  at  Lafayette,  as 
garrison  and  railroad  guard.  We  built  as  comfortable  quarters 
as  possible  and  then  went  to  work  and  built  several  forts  and  put 
the  place  in  a  complete  state  of  defense.  We  now  had  a  long 
season  of  rest  and  the  boys  were  in  a  condition  to  fully  appreciate 
it.  Our  picket  duty  was  pretty  heavy,  especially  on  the  non-com- 
missioned officers.  I  came  on  three  times  a  week.  There  was 
only  one  non-commissioned  officer  to  a  post  except  on  the  reserve, 
but  we  had  regular  stations  and  we  built  good  shelters.  During 
the  night,  when  I  knew  that  I  had  men  that  I  could  fully  trust,  I 
would  let  them  relieve  themselves  with  the  understanding  that  if 
anything  occurred,  to  wake  me  instantly.  I  stood  my  regular  two 
hours  with  the  rest.  When  the  grand  rounds  were  made,  they 
woke  me  up.  There  was  necessity  of  our  being  watchful,  as  large 
bands  of  rebel  cavalry  were  prowling  about,  oftentimes  threaten- 
ing an  attack.  On  several  occasions  our  forage  trains  were 
driven  in.  Some  of  the  boys  now  had  quite  a  notion  of  firing 
away  their  cartridges  and  very  strict  orders  were  given  concerning 
it.  Each  one  was  made  responsible  for  his  ammunition,  but  the 
boys  managed  to  get  a  lot  of  extra  cartridges  and  they  introduced 
a  practice  called  "squibbing''  by  putting  in  a  very  light  charge, 
the  gun  making  very  little  noise. 

While  on  picket,  they  would  shoot  all  day  long  at  marks,  often 
shooting  the  same  ball  a  dozen  times.  We  were  very  careful  not 
to  get  caught  at  it.  It  was  supposed  that  the  pickets  always  wore 
their  accoutrements  while  on  duty  but  we  sometimes  permitted  the 
boys  to  take  them  off,  providing  they  would  keep  a  strict  watch 
and  put  them  on  when  they  saw  any  officer  approaching.  We 
were  camped  in  a  very  rich  country  and  the  boys  had  great  times 
foraging.  When  a  forage  train  started  out,  it  was  a  signal  for 


99  [1863 

the  boys  to  go  out  with  it,  and  under  its  protection,  load  them- 
selves down  with  the  product  of  the  country,  such  as  sweet 
potatoes,  other  vegetables  and  fresh  pork.  Very  often  a  whole 
wagon  load  of  fresh  pork  would  come.  Our  mess  got  several 
weeks'  supply  which  we  salted  down  in  boxes.  At  the  same  time 
we  drew  our  regular  rations  of  bacon,  but  this  we  burned  for 
fuel.  We  had  made  a  little  stove  for  our  tent  out  of  an  old  iron 
kettle  and  our  bacon  furnished  us  with  all  the  fuel  we  needed. 
At  one  time,  our  company  had  about  a  cord  piled  up.  Afterward 
we  would  have  given  a  great  deal  if  we  could  have  had  that  bacon 
which  we  burned  at  Lafayette. 

January  20th. 

Two  members  of  Company  D.  whom  I  will  not  name,  performed 
an  act  here  which  in  a  law-abiding  land  would  have  consigned 
them  to  prison.  The  persons  referred  to  succeeded  in  eluding  our 
pickets  and  went  daily  to  a  farm  house  within  two  miles  of  camp. 
Here  liv<;d  a  poor  and  respectable  couple  with  a  daughter,  a  young 
lady,  who  soon  became  the  dupe  of  the  rascals.  One  of  them 
paid  his  addresses  to  her,  won  her  affections  and  she  consented  to 
marry  him.  One  day  he  brought  a  comrade  with  him  whom  he 
introduced  as  a  chaplain,  and  a  mock  ceremony  of  marriage  was 
performed  (January  24th).  It  was  not  until  the  regiment  moved 
that  treachery  was  suspected.  Then  the  outraged  father  followed 
the  regiment  in  hopes  of  finding  the  destroyer  of  his  daughter's 
happiness,  but  by  using  disguises  and  keeping  out  of  sight,  they 
eluded  his  search.  I  did  not  know  who  the  persons  were  that 
committed  this  vile  act  until  the  father  of  the  girl  had  left  and  to 
the  disgrace  of  the  officers  of  our  regiment,  nothing  was  ever  said 
or  done  to  bring  the  rascals  to  justice.  Indeed,  they  looked  upon 
it  in  the  light  of  a  good  joke  and  those  who  looked  with  horror 
and  disgust  upon  such  conduct  were  powerless  to  punish,  but  if 
these  men's  consciences  were  not  entirely  seared,  they  would 
always  carry  a  festering  sore  in  their  base  hearts, — the  remem- 
brance of  having  ruined  an  innocent  girl  and  destroyed  the  peace 
and  darkened  the  home  of  a  once  happy  family. 

January  24th. 

The  holy  cause  for  which  we  were  contending  now  began  to 
assume  a  gloomy,  forbidding  aspect.  Disaster  followed  disaster  in 
rapid  succession.  Sherman  had  been  bloodily  repulsed  from  before 
Vickaburg.  The  rebel  Gen.  Bragg  was  invading  Kentucky  with  a 


1863]  100 

large  and  powerful  army,  while  an  imbecile  General — Buell — was 
leisurely  taking  his  ease,  allowing  the  invaders  to  carry  fire,  sword 
and  famine  in  their  track  and  go  unpunished.  The  army  of  the 
Potomac  had  again  met  with  a  disastrous  defeat  and  Lee  was  pre- 
paring to  invade  the  free  states.  To  add  to  our  distress,  we  had 
enemies,  who  b}-  their  encouragement  to  armed  traitors  nerved  the 
arm  that  struck  the  blow  which  was  aimed  at  the  heart's  blood  of 
their  kindred  and  friends.  The  weary  and  dispirited  soldiers  saw 
nothing  in  the  future  but  a  dark  and  lowering  cloud  which 
threatened  to  engulf  them.  From  defeat  and  disaster  in  the  field, 
they  had  hoped  to  look  for  succor  and  encouragement  from  the 
masses  at  home,  but  instead,  a  large  part  of  them  who  should  have 
been  their  friends,  were  creating  dissensions,  and  secret  foes  were 
plotting  our  destruction  and  the  ruin  of  our  government.  Those 
that  remained  true,  rallied  around  our  noble  President  who  stood 
firm  and  breasted  the  fearful  tide  with  a  heroism  and  perseverance 
which  was  heaven-bestowed.  Although  his  every  action  was 
watched  and  his  deadly  enemies  were  continually  blocking  his  way, 
still  he  bore  up  with  superhuman  energy.  He  was  our  rock  on 
which  to  lean,  our  star  and  guide,  our  noble  Lincoln  !  With  one 
despairing,  heart  thrilling  appeal,  the  army  sent  in  their  remon- 
strance against  the  actions  of  those  men  styled  "peace  democrats" 
who  would  barter  away  our  priceless  legacy  of  freedom  to  slave 
aristocracy,  reflecting  contempt  upon  the  memory  of  thousands  of 
noble  souls  who  had  yielded  up  their  lives  that  the  country  might 
live.  Many  of  these  malcontents,  though  loyal,  allowed  their 
party  feelings  to  endanger  the  safety  of  our  cause.  They  wanted 
the  country  saved  under  a  democratic  leader.  There  was  a  traitor- 
ous set  under  the  lead  of  Valandingham,  who  were  secretly  plot- 
ting the  destruction  of  government  under  the  sophistical  plea  of 
peace,  armistice  and  reconciliation,  while  at  the  same  time  they 
knew  that  there  could  be  no  peace  until  the  last  armed  rebel  had  laid 
down  his  arms  and  acknowledged  the  authority  of  the  government, 
and  our  flag  should  be  recognized  and  respected  on  every  foot  of 
American  soil. 

January  30th. 

About  this  time,  I  wrote  home,  expressing  some  of  my  views 
and  feelings  and,  to  my  surprise,  some  of  my  friends  took  the 
liberty  to  have  the  letter  published.  The  powerful  and  potent 
voice  of  the  army  was  not  without  its  effect.  The  leaders  of  con- 


101  [1863 

spiracles  at  home,  shrank  hack  at  the  bold  front  of  the  army. 
They  had  hoped  to  create  division  amongst  us,  but  they  reckoned 
without  their  game.  It  is  a  glorious  record  for  our  brave  army 
that  they  stood  like  a  rock  through  all  these  trying  scenes,  by  the 
President  and  government.  If  the  soldiers  who  had  to  bear  the 
brunt  of  the  strife,  imperiling  their  lives  and  all  in  the  determina- 
tion to  press  on  to  win  or  to  die,  why  could  not  those  who  were 
rolling  in  luxury  at  home,  enjoying  the  fruits  of  our  toil  and 
danger,  be  satisfied.  A  letter  from  father  came  now  announcing 
Alsera's  death.  Considerable  sickness  prevailed  in  camp,  but  my 
health  remained  excellent.  A  new  chaplain  now  came  to  us,  the 
Rev.  B.  F.  Rogers,  a  brother  of  the  Colonel  and  a  universalist  in 
sentiment.  He  was  a  noble  and  good  man.  He  remained  with  us 
all  through  the  war,  sharing  with  us  our  privations  and  relieving 
our  wants  and  necessities  when  possible.  He  was  indeed  our  friend 
and  benefactor.  I  had  forgotten  to  mention  that  our  old  brigade 
commander,  Gen.  Veatch,  had  left  us. 

January  31st. 

He  was  now  in  command  of  the  City  of  Memphis.  It  was  with 
extreme  regret  that  we  parted  from  him.  He  was  a  good  man  and 
an  able  General.  He  never  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  a  soldier's  com- 
plaints nor  refused  to  grant  him  justice,  and  when  any  of  the 
boys  had  been  guilty  of  any  grave  offense,  a  good  fatherly  lecture 
from  the  General  punished  them  more  effectually  than  anything 
else,  and  the  offense  was  seldom  repeated. 

February  1st. 

Col.  Hall,  14th  Illinois,  was  now  in  command  of  the  brigade. 
We  were  all  happy  to  welcome  back  to  the  brigade  at  this  time 
Major  Nase,  old  captain  of  Company  K.  He  had  been  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  at  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  had  his  leg  ampu- 
tated below  the  knee.  He  was  finally  exchanged  and  was  promoted 
for  meritorious  conduct  on  the  battle-field.  Never  was  promotion 
more  nobly  earned.  After  being  taken  prisoner,  he  was  taken  to 
Memphis  where  he  was  so  fortunate  as  to  fall  into  a  Union  lady's 
hands.  She  nursed  him  with  the  most  assiduous  care  until  he  re- 
covered from  the  effects  of  his  wound  or  until  it  was  healed.  She 
probably  saved  his  life,  and  the  Major  was  very  extravagant  in  her 
praise.  While  we  were  at  Memphis, she  came  to  camp  to  see  him  and 
she  was  greeted  by  all  with  demonstrations  of  respect.  She  was 
one  of  the  very  few  genuine  ladies  we  found  in  the  South.  About 


1863]  ,  102 

the  middle  of  February,  our  regiment  moved  a  short  distance  from 
Lafayette  and  scattered  along  the  railroad  toward  Memphis. 
Companies  A,  F,  D,  and  I  stopped  about  three  miles  from  the 
former  place  at  a  stockade.  Our  chief  duty  was  to  protect  the 
railroad  from  guerrilla  raids.  Still  we  found  plenty  of  time  to 
indulge  in  our  penchant  for  foraging.  Just  across  the  river  from 
us  lay  a  large  tract  of  low  swampy  ground.  Beyond  it  was  a  rich 
country  which  neither  party  had  molested  much. 

In  this  swamp  was  the  headquarters  of  a  powerful  guerrilla 
band,  but  yet,  despite  the  danger  incurred  in  the  risk,  squads  of 
our  boys  would  go  out  through  this  swamp  into  the  open  country 
beyond  to  forage.  Several  times,  some  of  them  narrowly  escaped 
being  captured.  Milt  and  Roll  went  out  with  a  squad  one  day, 
and  as  they  were  nearing  a  house,  a  woman  seized  a  horn  and 
blew  a  loud  blast.  The  boys  knew  well  what  that  meant.  They 
immediately  seized  or  awed  the  woman  into  silence,  hastily  got 
what  they  wanted  and  left  just  as  a  party  of  guerrillas  were  emerg- 
ing from  the  woods  in  an  opposite  direction.  The  boys  were  a 
little  more  cautious  after  this.  On  another  occasion,  the  Colonel 
went  out  with  a  lot  of  us  boys  and  we  had  several  six-mule  teams 
along.  We  went  out  some  six  or  eight  miles  and  came  to  a  large, 
tine  plantation  owned  by  a  Colonel  in  the  rebel  army.  This  was 
the  place  for  us.  A  large  drove  of  fine  hogs  and  plenty  of  poultry 
was  there.  The  Colonel  gave  us  permission  to  help  ourselves  and 
soon  that  drove  of  hogs  was  slaughtered  and  in  our  wagons,  and 
most  of  the  men  exulted  in  the  possession  of  chickens,  and  visions 
of  a  nice  chicken  pie  when  we  should  reach  camp,  floated  through 
our  minds.  The  overseer  of  the  plantation  looked  on  with  dumb 
surprise  and  chagiin  to  see  the  work  of  devastation  going  on  and 
he  powerless  to  prevent  it. 

February  15th. 

On  our  way  back  to  camp,  the  Colonel  stopped  where  lived  a 
rich  and  blooming  young  widow.  The  latter  was  perfectly  fasci- 
nated with  the  Colonel,  and  she  found  various  pretenses  for  visit- 
ing him  in  camp.  She  finally  got  desperately  in  love  with  him, 
and  the  Colonel  was  just  wicked  enough  to  permit  her  attentions. 
When  the  regiment  finally  moved  she  followed  nearly  to  the  city 
of  Memphis.  He  had  hard  work  to  get  rid  of  her.  After  that 
the  Colonel  was  joked  considerably  about  his  widow.  One  of  our 
boys,  Amos  Holgate,  a  private  of  Company  D,  went  out  into  the 


103  [1863 

country  and  passed  himself  off  as  Captain  Legget.  In  conse- 
quence, he  received  many  smiles  and  favors  from  the  young  ladies, 
but  it  was  finally  found  out  in  camp  and  his  trick  exposed  and  the 
young  ladies  went  back  on  him.  He  was  known  after  that  as 
1 'Captain  Legget." 

February  20th. 

Our  time  at  the  stockade  passed  quickly  and  pleasantly  away. 
The  weather  for  the  most  of  the  time  was  delightful.  We  amused 
ourselves  by  playing  ball  and  indulging  in  other  harmless  pastimes. 
Our  healths  were  good  and  our  spirits  light.  The  tide  of  ill-feel- 
ing at  the  north  against  our  cause  was  gradually  dying  away  and 
victory  had  taken  the  place  of  defeat.  Our  cause  began  to 
brighten  and  to  the  future  we  looked  forward  with  hope  and 
trust. 

February  22. 

The  22d  of  February,  the  anniversary  of  the  birthday  of  the 
immortal  Washington,  was  celebrated  by  our  brigade  at  Lafayette. 
Speeches  and  toasts  were  made  and  given  appropriate  to  the 
occasion.  Our  worthy  chaplain  established  a  lyceum  in  the  regi- 
ment and  two  evenings  in  the  week  were  pleasantly  and  profitably 
employed  in  debating.  Some  of  the  best  speakers  in  the  regiment 
belonged  to  the  society.  Our  chaplain  could  not  rest  unless  doing 
something  for  the  good  of  the  men.  Although  not  a  gifted  man 
or  an  eloquent  speaker,  yet,  I  will  venture  to  say  that  there  was 
not  a  harder  working  chaplain  in  the  whole  army  or  one  that  did 
more  good.  With  a  good  education,  he  combined  goodness  of 
heart  with  an  indomitable  energy  and  perseverance.  We  were 
not  molested  much  by  guerillas  while  here.  We  had  several 
chases  after  them  but  never  succeeded  in  getting  a  fight  out  of 
them. 

Occasionally  they  would  make  threatening  demonstrations  by 
appearing  in  force,  but  being  mounted,  they  could  evade  pursuit. 
Our  vigilance  prevented  them  from  surprising  us.  We  remained 
here  until  the  10th  of  March  when  orders  came  for  the  4th  division 
to  march  to  Memphis  to  supply  the  place  of  troops  who  were  going 
to-  re-inforce  Grant  down  the  river.  After  two  and  one-half  days' 
marching,  we  reach  Memphis. 

March  10th. 

We  spent  a  week  shifting  about,  changing  camp,  etc.  Finally, 
we  settled  down  in  the  suburbs  east  of  the  city,  on  the  famous 


1863]  104 

Merry  weather  property,  then  in  litigation.  We  had  a  very  pleasant 
camp  and  a  splendid  review  and  parade  ground. 

March  16th. 

A  strife  now  arose  between  the  different  regiments  in  the  divi- 
sion for  the  championship  in  drilling,  etc.  The  41st  Illinois  and 
the  14th  Illinois  got  up  a  match  first.  The  prize  of  a  silver  bugle 
was  to  be  awarded  to  the  victor,  but  so  close  was  the  match  that 
the  judges  could  not  decide.  The  15th  was  then  matched  against 
the  41st  and  in  battalion  drill  and  marching  we  triumphantly  bore 
off  the  palm,  but  we  failed  to  come  up  to  time  in  the  manual  of 
arms. 

Casey's  tactics  had  now  been  substituted  for  Hardee's  and  we 
had  not  yet  got  accustomed  to  the  change. 

March  25th. 

Col.  Richardson,  a  noted  guerrilla,  now  began  to  harass  us. 
Several  regiments  of  the  4th  division  were  sent  out  to  disperse  this 
band.  They  were  strongly  posted  in  a  low,  swampy  ground,  acces- 
sible only  on  one  side  by  the  artillery.  A  sharp  fight  ensued.  We 
lost  several  killed  and  wounded.  A  Major  in  an  lovtat  regiment 
was  killed. 

April  1st. 

Our  picket  duty  here  required  the  utmost  vigilance.  Rank 
rebels  of  both  sexes,  under  the  guise  of  peaceful  citizens,  obtained 
passes  to  go  beyond  the  lines,  and  citizens  outside  of  the  lines 
obtained  passes  to  go  into  the  city  to  purchase  groceries,  etc. 
These  passes  lasting  one  month  and  subject  to  renewal  by  the  com- 
mander, Gen.  Veatch.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  these  persons 
carried  on  a  regular  system  of  smuggling  through  .contraband  art- 
icles. It  became  necessary  to  form  a  chain  picket.  Even  then, 
some  would  succeed  in  eluding  the  guard.  Things,  calling  them- 
selves ladies,  were  caught  with  quinine  and  other  articles  secreted 
in  their  crinolines.  Gen.  Veatch  now  issued  an  order  that  all  ladies 
of  suspicious  character  should  be  searched  before  passing  out.  Of 
course,  these  women  were  highly  indignant  at  this,  but  their 
unladylike  conduct  begat  the  necessity  of  the  order. 

April  5th. 

This  summary  proceeding  of  Gen.  Veatch  soon  put  a  stop  to 
this  kind  of  smuggling.  Then  another  queer  expedient  was  resorted 
to,  which  was  no  less  than  secreting  contraband  goods  in  the  car- 
casses of  dead  horses.  Under  the  plea  of  removing  them  out  of ' 


105  [1863 

the  way,  they  got  permission  to  have  them  taken  beyond  our  lines. 
This  mode  of  proceeding  was  soon  found  out  and  then  smuggling 
became  a  dangerous  enterprise  in  Memphis.  We  probably  lived 
better  at  this  time  than  we  did  at  any  other  time  during  our  term 
in  the  army.  Provisions  were  cheap  and  every  day  our  table  was 
covered  with  delicacies,  such  as  eggs,  ham,  pies,  sausages,  etc. 
Our  lyceum  was  still  in  operation,  considerably  enlarged,  number- 
ing over  eighty  active  members.  The  society  did  me  the  honor  to 
elect  me  its  president  for  one  month.  It  was  our  custom  to  invite 
speakers  to  deliver  addresses  before  our  society  and  Dr.  McKim 
and  the  chaplain  of  the  14th  Illinois  favored  us  with  lectures. 

April  10th. 

In  addition  to  our  lyceum,  a  reading-room  was  established  and 
a  small  tax  of  five  cents  a  week,  for  each  member,  furnished  us 
with  all  the  wholesome  reading  matter  we  could  digest.  A  class 
in  bookkeeping  was  also  established;  also  a  sort  of  normal  school 
for  reviewing  the  common  branches  of  learning.  These  exercises, 
with  my  usual  duties,  kept  my  time  pretty  well  occupied  and  the 
time  glided  swiftly  and  silently  by.  While  we  were  thus  occupied, 
many  were  spending  the  days  and  nights  in  the  foul  atmosphere 
of  the  city,  frequenting  haunts  of  vice  and  dissipation.  Not  satis- 
fied with  that,  the  atmosphere  of  camp  must  needs  be  corrupted 
with  poor  degraded  women. 

April  15th. 

So  foul  had  the  morals  of  the  city  become  that  Gen.  Veatch 
issued  an  order  expelling  two  boat  loads  of  fallen  humanity. 
Indeed,  matters  had  come  to  such  a  pass  that  a  decent  lady  was 
ashamed  to  be  seen  on  the  street,  and  stringent  measures  had  to 
be  resorted  to  to  remedy  the  evil.  All  the  bad  passions  of  the 
naturally  dissipated  in  our  division  were  brought  to  light  here,  and 
too  often  were  the  young  and  noble  drawn  into  this  whirlpool  of 
vice. 

April  20th. 

There  was  one,  in  whom  I  felt  more  than  a  common  interest, 
who  was  one  day  thrown  into  the  company  of  roughs  who  were 
bound  to  get  him  drunk.  Too  well  they  succeeded!  Late  at  night 
he  came  to  camp  partially  intoxicated.  To  say  that  I  was  shocked, 
would  be  too  feeble  an  expression.  I  knew  that  it  would  be  use- 
less to  talk  to  him.  So  I  sat  down  and  wrote  him  an  appeal, 
directed  as  though  it  came  from  home,  and  handed  it  to  one  of  my 

7 


1863]  106 

comrades,  William  Mallory,  to  hand  to  him  as  a  letter  from  home. 
I  had  the  consciousness  of  knowing  that  my  appeal  was  not  in  vain. 
He  was  never  known  to  be  intemperate  after  that. 

An  order  from  the  Secretary  of  War  now  permitted  the  enlist- 
ment of  colored  troops  and  the  appointment  of  white  officers  to 
command  them.  I  was  offered  a  recommendation  by  the  adjutant  of 
of  the  regiment  for  a  commission,  but  I  preferred  my  present  posi- 
tion to  any  in  a  negro  company.  Several  members  of  the  15th  did 
receive  commissions.  William,  Roll  and  Milt  could  have  gotten  a 
recommendation  if  they  had  wanted  it.  Our  pleasant  life  in  Mem- 
phis was  now  about  to  draw  to  a  close.  Our  lyceum,  schools  and 
other  pleasant  pastimes  were  to  be  abandoned  for  the  time  being. 

May  1st. 

It  was  with  some  regret,  but  no  reluctance,  that  I  bade  adieu 
to  Memphis.  A  sacred  duty  called  us  away.  Our  chieftain  had 
called  for  help  and  his  call  was  the  voice  of  duty.  Our  brave 
comrades,  in  their  grapple  with  the  rebel  "Gibraltar  of  the  West" 
— Vicksburg,  needed  our  assistance.  Henceforth  until  our  ban- 
ner waved  over  the  towers  and  steeples  of  Vicksburg,  we  knew 
there  was  no  rest,  but  with  our  matchless  leader  and  an  invulner- 
able army  to  back  him,  the  fruition  of  our  hopes  was  sure  to  be 
realized.  So,  with  cheerful  hearts,  we  packed  up  and  marched  to 
the  levee  where  transports  were  waiting  to  receive  us. 

May  llth. 

As  we  passed  the  Gayoso  House,  our  patriotic  governor, 
Richard  Yates,  came  out  and  made  us  a  speech.  He  had  just  re- 
turned from  the  battlefield  of  Ft.  Gibson,  and  he  pictured  in 
glowing  colors  the  bravery  of  Illinois  troops  in  that  field.  He 
predicted  that  ere  long  Vicksburg  would  be  in  our  possession. 
After  everything  was  on  board  our  division  proudly  swept  its 
moorings,  and  the  noble  steamers  were  soon  skimming  the  crest 
of  the  Father  of  Waters,  bearing  us  to  where  honor  and  glory 
awaited  us. 

May  12th. 

The  weather  was  delightful.  Spring  had  on  its  richest  dress. 
All  was  life  and  animation.  The  green  fields,  the  feathered  warb- 
lers, the  grazing  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  the  splendid  villa  of 
some  rich  planter  and  the  picturesque  scenery  along  the  river 
thrilled  our  souls  with  an  intense  joy,  causing  them  to  vibrate  with 
an  adoration  and  reverence  to  the  Author  of  all  these  beauties, 


107  [1863 

but  when  our  thoughts  reverted  inward  to  the  terrible  present,  a 
wailing  note  of  agony  would  creep  along  our  heartstrings  at  the 
thought  that  God's  beautiful  handiwork  of  nature  was  now  wit- 
nessing a  bloody  and  terrible  strife  on  its  very  bosom,  but  through 
the  gloom  of  the  terrible  reality  we  saw  the  silver  lining  of  the 
war  cloud  which  soon  would  spread  and  irradiate  our  loved  land 
with  gladness,  proclaiming  peace,  joy  and  contentment.  The  first 
day  we  passed  Helena  with  its  rocky  crags  and  frowning  preci- 
pices, made  glorious  and  historic  by  the  thrilling  deeds  of  valor 
performed  on  its  crest  by  freemen  beating  back  traitors.  Still  on 
swift  wings  we  sped,  following  the  devious  windings  of  the 
river,  passing  splendid  plantations,  "Old  Zach  Taylor's"  planta- 
tion in  Mississippi  amongst  the  rest.  About  noon  on  the  second 
day,  while  passing  near  Greenville,  one  of  our  boats  was  fired  into 
by  a  band  of  guerrillas.  Our  troops  immediately  landed  and  laid 
everything  waste  on  the  shore.  This  mode  of  retaliation  may 
look  barbarous  to  some,  but  it  was  the  only  way  in  which  we 
could  check  these  lawless  villains  in  their  murderous  schemes. 

By  night  we  arrived  at  Lake  Providence,  Louisiana,  where  a 
short  time  before  Grant's  army  was  camped.  Halting  but  a  short 
time  here,  we  pressed  on,  and  on  the  third  day  at  noon,  Milliken's 
Bend  was  reached.  We  passed  four  miles  farther  down  to  where 
the  river  makes  an  abrupt  bend,  circling  around  a  point  toward 
Vicksburg,  and  we  disembarked.  In  the  distance,  the  towers  and 
steeples  of  Vicksburg  were  plainly  discernable,  and  a  cloud  of 
dust  rising  over  the  city,  indicated  that  some  great  excitement  was 
existing.  What  that  excitement  was,  we  could  imagine,  when 
we  heard  that  Grant  was  marching  with  steady  tramp  toward 
their  stronghold,  hurling  back  the  rebel  army  as  though  it  were 
naught. 

A  brief  account  of  General  Grant's  movements  here  will  not 
be  out  of  place.  While  his  army  was  lying  here,  the  famous  canal 
project  was  originated,  but  I  believe  that  it  was  only  a  blind.  The 
subsequent  movements  of  the  army  are  too  well  known  to  need 
repetition.  The  mock  Monitor  which  scared  the  rebels  so  running 
the  blockade,  the  gallant  Queen  of  the  West  and  the  Indianola 
passing  through  a  terrible  shower  of  shell  and  shot,  passed  the 
city  of  Vicksburg  and  the  subsequent  fate  of  the  two  noble 
vessels,  the  running  of  six  transports  past  the  blockade,  manned 
by  volunteers,  and  their  heroism,  but  the  crowning  act  was  moving 


1863]  108 

his  army  down  to  Grand  Gulf,  storming  and  taking  that  place,  and 
with  six  days'  rations,  he  severed  communication  with  his  base, 
crossed  the  river,  captured  Fort  Gibson,  rapidly  pressed  the  enemy 
back,  attacked  and  defeated  Johnson  at  Jackson  and  captured  that 
place,  then  pressing  forward,  in  quick  succession  he  gained  the 
battles  of  Raymond,  Champion  Hill,  Haines  Bluff,  Black  River, 
and  finally  set  his  army  before  Vicksburg,  completely  investing  it. 
These  movements  were  executed  so  rapidly  that  it  caused  the 
wildest  excitement  when  heard  of  at  the  North,  and  Grant  became 
the  hero  of  the  war. 

May  18th. 

We  stopped  in  camp  but  a  few  days,  then  crossed  the  neck  of 
land  opposite  Vicksburg.  We  took  transports  for  Grand  Gulf, 
but  the  army  was  so  far  advanced  toward  Jackson  that  we  received 
orders  to  return  to  Youngs  Point  and  join  the  army  by  the  way 
of  Haines  Bluff  on  the  Yazoo.  About  midnight  on  the  day  of  our 
arrival  at  Grand  Gulf,  we  again  .embarked  and  were  speeding  on 
our  way  back  to  Vicksburg.  We  approached  within  four  miles  of 
the  city,  nearly  opposite  Ft.  Warren,  but  the  enemy  commenced 
shelling  us  and  we  were  forced  to  disembark  farther  down  the  river. 
Before  sundown,  we  were  back  at  Youngs  Point  and  again  on 
transports.  Soon  we  passed  into  the  mouth  of  the  Yazoo  which 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  at  this  point.  We  received  a  large 
mail  that  night,  and  a  long  letter  from  Let  announced  his  betrothal 
to  Mary  Bartholemew.  We  arrived  at  the  Landing  about  nine 
o'clock  P.M.  Our  regiment  was  detailed  to  guard  five  thousand 
prisoners  captured  the  day  before.  The  prisoners  were  ragged, 
dirty  and  disheartened,  still  they  were  called  the  "flower  of  the 
rebel  army."  The  next  day  we  went  into  camp  on  the  bluff. 
This  bluff  was  considered  the  key  to  the  rebel  position,  and  they 
determined  to  fight  it  out  here,  but  a  flank  movement  compelled 
them  to  abandon  it  in  haste,  leaving  all  their  heavy  artillery 
behind.  The  fort  was  manned  to  resist  an  assault  from  the  front. 
They  little  dreamed  that  Grant  would  come  up  in  the  rear.  We 
were  ordered  to  hold  this  place.  There  was  danger  of  Johnson 
attempting  to  capture  it. 

May  22d. 

It  was  fifteen  miles  to  Vicksburg,  and  we  could  plainly  hear 
the  heavy  notes  of  artillery.  On  the  18th  and  22d,  when  the 
charges  were  made,  the  hills  fairly  shook  with  the  shock  of 


109  [1863 

artillery.  Grant  saw  what  a  sacrifice  of  life  it  would  cost  to  take 
the  place  by  storm,  so  he  waited  the  slower  and  surer  operations 
of  a  seige.  Our  officers  now  asked  and  were  granted  permission 
to  take  their  commands  to  the  front,  and  on  the  24th  of  May,  we 
took  up  our  position  on  the  extreme  left  of  the  line,  near  Ft. 
Warren,  below  Vicksburg.  The  rebels  were  now  completely 
hemmed  in.  There  was  no  possible  chance  of  escape  except  by 
cutting  through  our  lines,  an  attempt  they  dare  not  undertake. 
Our  gunboats  effectually  guarded  the  river  side.  The  flanks  of 
the  army  rested  on  the  river,  one  above  and  one  below  the  city. 
Thus  contrary  to  the  instructions  of  President  Lincoln,  Grant  had 
completely  invested  Vicksburg.  Lincoln  wanted  him  to  co-operate 
with  Gen.  Banks  and  reduce  Ft.  Hudson  first,  but  with  a  magna- 
nimity seldom  equalled,  the  President  acknowledged  his  error  and 
highly  complimented  Grant.  It  was  a  perilous  move — a  move  few 
military  men  would  have  dared  undertake,  but  Grant  was  of  that 
bold,  sanguine  nature,  ever  confident  of  success. 


1863]  110 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

May  26th,  1863. 

Now  began  one  continual  series  of  thrilling  events  which  lasted 
until  the  glorious  consummation  of  our  labor,  which  gave  the 
Fourth  of  July  additional  luster  to  the  American  people  in  the  sur- 
render of  the  rebel  "Gibraltar,"  Vicksburg,  thus  virtually  raising 
the  blockade  of  the  Mississippi,  and  from  Itasca  Lake,  in  Minnesota, 
to  the  broad  bosom  of  the  Gulf,  could  our  commerce  teem,  uninter- 
rupted by  traitorous  foes.  Each  day,  each  night,  yes,  each  hour, 
now  brought  to  us  danger,  excitement  and  mirth.  The  boys 
entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  siege  with  a  recklessness  and  gaiety 
which  totally  drove  ennui  from  our  minds.  There  was  just  excite- 
ment enough  to  make  it  pleasing  and  danger  enough  to  excite  a 
spirit  of  daring.  I  cannot  enumerate  all  the  daring  enterprises 
conceived,  but  will  mention  one,  and  let  that  suffice.  We  were 
now  within  one  and  one-half  miles  of  the  rebel  line  and  two  and 
one-half  miles  from  Vicksburg.  In  our  immediate  front  was  a 
strong  fort,  a  little  isolated  from  the  others,  mounting  heavy  siege 
guns. 

May  3 1  st. 

From  this  fort  an  annoying  fire  was  kept  up  on  our  camp.  All 
efforts  of  our  guns  to  silence  it,  proved  ineffectual.  The  fort  was 
surrounded  by  heavy  abattis,  strengthened  by  several  lines  of 
sharp  pickets,  protruding- out  of  the  ground  several  feet,  slanting 
outwards,  called  cheval-de-frise,  making  it  a  very  perilous  enter- 
prise to  attempt  to  capture  the  fort,  but  Col.  Rogers,  chafing  under 
long  inactivity  and,  anxious  to  distinguish  himself  and  win  a  proud 
reputation  for  the  regiment,  asked,  of  the  commanding  General, 
and  received  permission  to  attempt  to  surprise  and  capture  the 
fort,  spike  the  guns  and  return  before  re-inforcements  could  arrive 
to  succor  the  garrison.  Ten  picked  men,  from  each  company, 
with  one  commissioned  and  two  non-commissioned  officers,  were 
selected  to  carry  out  this  enterprise.  Rollin,  Milt  and  I  were 
among  those  selected  from  our  company.  Lieut.  Waldock  was  to 
command  a  squad  from  D  Company.  At  that  time  we  did  not 
know  what  was  required  of  us,  although  we  knew  that  something 
of  importance  was  afoot.  We  got  ready  and  waited  for  the  order 


Ill  [1863 

to  fall  in,  but  fortunately  for  us,  an  order  came  at  this  time 
countermanding  the  former  order.  The  plans  were  so  far  matured, 
that  each  officer  was  instructed  as  to  what  was  required  of  him  and 
what  he  should  do  in  certain  contingencies.  Files  were  ready  to 
spike  the  guns.  The  men  were  well  satisfied  at  the  turn  of  affairs, 
though  not  one  would  have  flinched  from  the  undertaking  had  net 
the  order  been  countermanded,  yet,  the  idea  of  one  hundred  men 
capturing  such  a  fort,  in  the  face  of  twenty  thousand  men,  was 
preposterous.  I  always  found  my  courage  equal  to  any  duty 
required  of  me,  but  certainly  I  had  no  relish  for  such  fool-hardy 
enterprises  where  a  whole  command  would  have  been  sacrificed. 
Pride  is  a  potent  word  with  the  true  soldier,  and  rather  than  be 
stigmatized  as  cowardly,  he  will  face  a  cannon's  mouth  and  suffer 
himself  to  be  torn  limb  from  limb. 

June  1st. 

We  now  received  orders  to  move  farther  to  the  right.  We 
kept  changing  position  every  few  days,  gradually  drawing  nearer 
the  rebel  lines,  fortifying  as  we  advanced.  One  day  we  were  on 
the  skirmish  and  picket  line  and  the  next  in  the  trenches.  There 
was  no  rest  for  us,  but  labor,  fight  and  dig  was  the  order.  Occa- 
sionally we  would  make  a  charge  on  the  rebel  picket  to  drive  them 
back  and  secure  a  more  eligible  position  for  ourselves.  From  noon 
until  night  for  days,  weeks  and  months,  the  rattling  of  musketry 
and  the  heavy  notes  of  artillery  were  heard.  Perhaps  while  lying 
concealed  in  some  thicket  or  copse  watching  for  the  foe,  the  dull 
thud  of  a  bullet  striking  a  bush  or  log  near  you,  would  apprise 
you  that  in  the  same  thicket  lay  concealed  rebels. 

Our  rifle  pits  were  built  in  the  night.  So  noiselessly  did  we  work 
that  the  enemy,  perhaps  not  more  than  ten  rods  off,  would  not 
know  what  we  were  about  until  the  next  morning  when  perhaps  a 
new  line  of  works,  nearer  than  the  others,  would  extend  around 
the  line.  Conversation  was  carried  on  in  a  whisper.  Sometimes 
the  enemy  would  find  us  out  and  fire  on  us,  causing  us  to  abandon 
the  works  for  the  present.  Our  picket  was  relieved  in  the  even- 
ing. Sometimes  we  had  to  march  miles  to  get  forty  rods  from 
camp  in  order  to  avoid  the  rebels.  The  ground  was  cut  up  by 
deep  ravines,  winding  around  in  such  a  manner  that  we  could 
march  almost  to  their  lines  without  being  seen.  Some  of  these 
ravines  were  covered  with  a  dense  thicket.  We  often  passed 
where  the  least  misstep  would  have  precipitated  us  hundreds  of  feet 


1863]  112 

below.  Often  we  would  approach  within  a  few  rods  of  the  rebe. 
picket  and  the  breaking  of  a  twig  or  slight  rustle  of  the  bushes 
would  betray  our  presence.  From  our  position,  we  would  watch 
for  the  enemy  and  whenever  one  of  them  would  venture  to  lift  his 
head  above  the  rifle  pits,  a  score  of  bullets,  sped  by  the  unerring 
hands  of  the  Yankee  boys,  was  sure  to  greet  him.  Sometimes  for 
amusement,  we  would  fire  at  the  men  on  the  fort  from  one-half  to 
one  mile  distant. 

June  4th. 

One  day  General  Grant  rode  along  the  line  and  told  the  boys 
that  he  had  plenty  of  ammunition  and  not  to  be  afraid  to  use  it. 
This  was  a  signal  for  firing.  Some  of  the  boys  expended  over  two 
hundred  rounds  that  day.  The  rebs  lay  in  their  trenches,  whist 
as  mice,  not  daring  to  show  their  heads.  Some  evenings  when  not 
on  duty,  we  would  crawl  to  the  top  of  the  hill  near  camp  and 
watch  the  gunboats  shell  the  city.  From  the  instant  the  shell  left 
the  gun,  we  could  trace  its  progress  through  the  air.  The  shell 
had  a  rapid  rotary  motion  and  the  burning  fuse  with  its  red  glare, 
showed  its  course,  describing  a  semi-circle  in  traveling  four  miles. 
When  at  its  highest  altitude,  we  would  hear  the  report  of  the  gun. 
When  it  neared  the  earth,  we  could  see  the  flash  as  it  exploded, 
and  after  several  seconds,  we  could  hear  the  report.  The  terrified 
inhabitants  sought  safety  in  caves  from  these  terrible  engines  of 
death.  A  practical  engineer  could  so  time  the  fuse  as  to  explode 
the  shell  whenever  he  wished.  Sometimes  the  rebels  would  make 
a  charge  on  our  picket  line  in  the  night  and  try  to  force  it  back. 
In  one  of  these  charges,  they  surprised  the  14th  Illinois,  killed  and 
wounded  seven  and  took  twenty  prisoners,  Lieut. -Col.  Cam 
amongst  the  number,  and  filled  up  their  rifle  pits.  All  this  was 
done  so  quickly  that  we,  only  a  short  distance  from  them,  were 
unable  to  render  them  any  assistance. 

Soon  the  whizzing  of  bullets  over  our  heads  apprised  us  that 
our  presence  was  required  in  our  own  trenches,  but  the  rebels 
seemed  satisfied  with  their  work  and  did  not  molest  us  further  that 
night,  although  we  stood  with  guns  cocked,  expecting  an  assault 
every  moment.  On  another  occasion  it  was  required  of  the  loth 
to  dig  a  rifle  pit  across  an  open  field  in  full  view  of  the  enemy's 
works.  It  was  a  moonlight  night  and  we  could  be  plainly  seen 
from  the  rebels'  lines.  Each  men  of  the  fatigue  party  took  a 
spade  and  set  vigorously  to  work,  and  before  the  astonished  rebs 


113  [1863 

recovered  from  their  surprise,  there  was  enough  earth  thrown  up 
to  protect  them  from  the  rebel  fire.  Each  man  dug  a  hole  for 
himself,  and  as  self-preservation  was  his  motive  to  work,  he  was 
not  slow  about  it.  Soon  after  this  our  regiment  was  ordered  to 
dig  a  rifle  pit  in  front  of  a  fort,  not  more  than  fifty  yards  from 
the  rebel  picket.  A  part  of  the  regiment  kept  watch  to  prevent 
being  surprised,  while  the  rest  worked.  Our  vidette  crawled  out 
a  few  paces  in  front  of  us,  lying  flat  on  the  ground,  ready  to  give 
the  alarm  on  the  instant,  if  occasion  required.  The  modus  oper- 
andi  of  building  these  rifle  pits  was  this:  Long  baskets,  made  of 
withes  in  the  shape  of  a  cylinder,  were  placed  on  line  and  filled 
with  dirt,  the  man  standing  behind  one  while  he  filled  the  next, 
thus  protecting  himself  from  the  enemy's  fire.  On  this  occasion  I 
was  assigned  to  the  working  party.  There  was  a  rebel  picket  a 
few  rods  in  front  of  us  who  annoyed  us  somewhat  by  his  close 
firing.  His  shots  would  strike  the  baskets  and  one  boy  had  his 
hand  grazed  by  a  bullet.  Anxious  to  know  the  whereabouts  of 
this  unseen  foe,  in  company  with  Tommy  Huston,  I  scaled  the 
fort  and  stood  on  the  top  watching  for  his  fire.  We  presented 
too  tempting  a  mark  for  him.  Instead  of  firing  on  the  working 
party,  he  drew  bead  on  us.  We  saw  the  flash  of  his  gun  and  at- 
tempted to  dodge  the  bullet,  but  it  struck  the  ground  at  our  feet 
before  we  had  time  to  stir.  As  we  did  not  like  to  be  treated  in 
that  uncivil  manner,  after  telling  the  rebel  to  shoot  higher  next 
time,  we  hastily  "scrabbled"  down.  Before  daylight  our  work 
was  completed  and  we  returned  to  camp.  It  would  not  have  been 
safe  to  have  attempted  to  get  away  from  there  by  daylight.  The 
garrison  had  to  remain  there  during  the  day.  They  could  only  be 
relieved  in  the  night. 

June  20th. 

We  had  now  got  so  close  to  the  enemy  that  in  several  places 
along  the  line  we  were  at  work  undermining  their  forts  with  the 
intention  of  blowing  them  up,  by  digging  a  deep  trench  from  our 
works  to  theirs.  Our  boys  protected  themselves  in  their  work  by 
placing  cotton  bales  before  them,  shoving  them  along  as  fast  as 
they  dug.  When  up  to  the  fort  the  rebs  attempted  to  stop  our 
work  by  throwing  hand  grenades  over  at  our  boys,  but  generally 
they  would  get  out  of  the  way  before  they  burst.  Some  of  the 
boldest  would  grab  one  and  hurl  it  back  before  it  burst,  exploding 
it  in  the  rebel  ranks.  The  chief  engineers  were  bent  on  under- 


1863] 

mining  Ft.  Hill,  the  strongest  works  that  the  rebels  had.  Finally 
everything  was  in  readiness,  the  troops  were  under  arms,  ready 
to  make  a  charge  if  a  breach  was  made  and  our  boys  went  in. 
The  concussion  was  terrific.  Rebels  were  thrown  twenty  feet 
into  the  air  and  buried  in  the  ruins,  but  so  strong  were  the  works 
that  the  explosion  failed  to  make  a  breach.  A  fierce  hand-to-hand 
encounter  ensued  over  the  parapet,  bayonets  crossed  over  the 
works  and  thrusts  and  stabs  were  made.  Our  boys  finally  retired 
confident  that  victory  wonld  soon  crown  our  efforts.  The  45th 
Illinois  stood  the  brunt  of  this  engagement. 

June  25th. 

The  next  day  we  were  ordered  to  hold  ourselves  in  readiness 
for  action.  The  artillery  received  orders  to  look  to  their  ammuni- 
tion. On  the  morrow,  at  four  o'clock  A.  M.,  a  general  cannonad- 
ing along  the  whole  line  was  ordered  and  to  be  kept  up  until  ten 
o'clock  A.  M.  The  15th  lay  just  in  the  rear,  supporting  several 
heavy  siege-guns  and  some  twenty-pound  Parrott  guns.  We  waited 
with  impatience  for  the  ball  to  open.  Soon  the  signal  gun  was 
fired;  then,  as  if  by  magic,  the  hoarse  notes  of  hundreds  of  pieces 
of  artillery  shook  the  ground.  It  seemed  as  though  the  very  earth 
was  going  to  open  and  swallow  us  up.  The  chief  of  artillery  in 
in  our  division  offered  the  prize  of  a  field -glass  to  the  one  that 
would  make  the  best  shot.  We  lay  where  we  could  note  the  effect 
of  this  cannonading.  Our  solid  shot  would  strike  the  rebel  works, 
filling  the  air  with  a  cloud  of  dirt.  The  air  was  full  of  screeching 
shells,  crossing  each  other's  track  and  finally  bursting  in  town  or  in 
the  rebel  camp.  For  six  hours  this  terrible  cannonading  was  kept 
up  but  it  failed  to  elicit  a  response  from  the  rebels.  They  remained 
quiet  as  the  grave.  We  never  ascertained  the  amount  of  damage 
done.  A  shot  from  a  gun  in  front  of  us,  cut  the  rebel  flag-staff  in 
two  and  the  dirty  rag  came  tumbling  to  the  earth.  The  fellow 
that  fired  that  shot  received  the  field-glass.  On  other  occasions  a 
general  cannonading  occurred,  but  with  little  effect.  The  situa- 
tion was  now  getting  decidedly  interesting.  The  two  armies  were 
so  close  to  each  other  that  they  could  almost  shake  hands,  while  in 
our  rear  was  a  powerful  rebel  army  under  the  rebel  General  John- 
son watching  for  a  favorable  opportunity  to  pounce  upon  us,  but 
the  brave  Dutchman,  Osterhaus,  with  his  command,  kept  a  vigil- 
ant eye  upon  him  and  he  dared  not  cross  Black  River.  Rumors 
that  Johnson  was  going  to  attempt  to  raise  the  siege  and  relieve 


115  [1863 

the  garrison  at  Vicksburg  were  rife  in  camp,  but  still  he  did  not 
try  it.  While  our  regiment  was  on  picket  one  day,  Company  I 
caught  eleven  rebs  trying  to  steal  through  our  lines.  They  had 
two  hundred  thousand  percussion  caps  and  a  dispatch  from  John- 
son to  Pemberton  in  cipher.  The  rebs  were  sadly  in  need  of  per- 
cussion caps  and  Johnson  took  this  method  of  supplying  them,  but 
our  boys  couldn't  see  it,  so  they  snailed  them  in.  The  dispatch 
was  deciphered.  It  stated  that  if  Pemberton  could  hold  out  two 
weeks  longer,  he  would  be  there  to  relieve  him,  but  somehow  or 
other,  he  failed  to  keep  his  promise.  I  suspect  that  the  brave 
Dutchman  interfered  with  his  plans.  Occasionally  we  would  suc- 
ceed in  getting  hold  of  a  paper  printed  in  Vicksburg.  It  was 
printed  on  wall  paper  and  with  a  miserable  type,  fit  emblems  of  the 
waning  fortunes  of  the  Confederacy.  This  paper  would  have  flam- 
ing editorials  telling  about  Johnson,  how  that,  at  the  proper 
moment,  he  would  attack  and  annihilate  Grant.  It  also  stated  that 
Marmaduke  had  captured  Milliken's  Bend  and  cut  off  our  supplies, 
and  by  a  general  system  of  lying  had  made  the  rebel  soldiers  believe 
that  we  were  as  good  as  "goners."  The  opposing  armies  were  so 
near  each  other  now  that  the  soldiers  of  each  could  not  resist  the 
temptation  to  blackguard  each  other,  and  for  the  sake  of  gratify- 
ing their  minds  in  this  respect,  they  would  agree  upon  a  cessation 
of  hostilities  for  an  hour  or  so. 

The  time  usually  selected  was  just  as  the  day  was  deepening  into 
twilight.  Then  the  two  armies'  pickets  would  commence  a  regular 
system  of  blackguardism.  We  liked  to  remind  them  of  their  situ- 
ation and  that  in  all  probability  they  would  soon  be  our  prisoners. 
Then,  perhaps,  we  would  ask  them  how  their  mule  meat  was  hold- 
ing out.  In  return  they  said  that  Joe  Johnson  would  soon  make 
us  "hunt  our  hole."  In  reply,  we  would  tell  them  that  Johnson 
was  annihilated  and  hosts  of  other  answers.  They  would  retort  by 
asking  how  we  liked  to  have  our  hard-tack-line  cut  off.  They  act- 
ually believed,  until  we  undeceived  them,  that  Marmaduke  and 
Dick  Taylor  had  taken  Milliken's  Bend  and  cut  off  our  supplies. 

The  rebels  were  both  pleased  and  surprised  to  learn  that  we 
felt  no  ill  will  toward  them  personally,  but  that  we  wholly  blamed 
their  leaders  for  deceiving  them  and  bringing  this  war  upon  them. 
They  had  been  taught  from  the  commencement  that  we  entertained 
a  deadly  hatred  toward  them  and  that  we  were  prosecuting  the 
war  to  free  the  negro  and  to  get  plunder.  They  had  been  told 


1863]  116 

that  it  was  a  vindictive  and  mercenary  war  on  our  part,  with  the 
sole  object  of  ruining  and  desolating  the  South,  and  as  they  had 
no  means  of  gainsaying  them,  they  were  compelled  to  accept  them 
as  facts,  but  when  they  came  to  converse  with  us  and  found  out 
that  the  restoration  of  the  Union,  founded  on  mutual  justice,  was 
our  sole  purpose,  a  better  feeling  sprang  up  and  their  cause  be- 
came decidedly  unpopular.  Desertions  became  quite  frequent 
from  the  rebel  lines.  They  would  have  deserted  by  regiments,  if 
they  could  have  gotten  away.  Some  of  the  most  scrupulous  on 
this  point  have  been  known  to  come  over  and  drink  a  cup  of  coffee 
with  our  boys  and  then  return.  One  evening,  while  conversing 
with  the  rebs,  we  found  a  man  from  our  neighborhood  in  the  2Tth 
Georgia,  in  front  of  us,  whom  I  used  to  know.  He  began  to 
question  us  first  by  inquiring  what  regiment  we  belonged  to,  and 
when  he  learned  that  we  were  in  the  15th  Illinois,  and  from  Ma- 
rengo,  he  asked  if  such  and  such  persons  were  in  the  company. 
Being  answered  in  the  affirmative,  we  then  asked  him  his  name. 
It  was  Charles  Rice,  a  boy  well-known  to  many  of  us.  He  assured 
us  that  he  espoused  the  cause  of  the  South  because  he  thought 
they  were  right.  Maj.-Gen.  Herron's  division  had  now  taken  up 
its  position  on  our  left.  That  impetuous  commander  was  ever 
wide  awake,  seeking  some  vulnerable  point  in  the  enemy's  lines 
and  pouring  a  continual  stream  of  fire  from  his  artillery  with 
telling  effect. 

July  1st. 

One  day  I  saw  some  of  Herron's  pickets  march  up  and  surprise 
and  capture  a  rebel  picket  post,  right  in  face  of  the  enemy's  big 
guns.  Before  the  astonished  rebs  could  recover  their  senses,  our 
boys  were  well  on  their  way  back,  but  a  sweeping  discharge  of 
grape  and  canister  laid  some  of  the  brave  fellows  low.  The  siege 
of  Vicksburg  was  noted  for  such  daring  and  bravery  on  our  part. 
We  had  a  splendid  signal  corps  camped  on  the  highest  point  of 
observation  in  our  lines,  and  not  a  movement  the  rebels  could 
make  of  any  importance,  but  what  was  signaled  to  head-quarters. 
Grant  had  high  towers  or  look-outs  built  where  he  could  look 
down  into  the  city.  It  seemed  now  as  if  the  decisive  moment 
must  soon  arrive.  Johnson  was  strongly  threatening  an  attack, 
and  Grant  had  determined,  if  he  was  hard  pressed  by  Johnson,  to 
charge  and  take  the  enemy's  works  by  assault.  This  could  be 
done,  but  it  would  involve  a  tremendous  sacrifice  of  life,  and  it 


117  [1863 

was  only  to  be  resorted  to  in  the  hist  extremity.  We  now  had 
several  of  their  forts  undermined  and  about  ready  to  be  blown  up, 
but  General  Grant  thought  proper  to  demand  a  surrender  before 
proceeding  to  extremities.  Accordingly  it  was  made  with  the 
request,  that  in  case  of  non-acceptance,  he,  Pemberton,  would 
have  the  women,  children  and  non-combatants  removed,  as  he 
should  shell  the  city.  He  received  the  haughty  reply  from  the 
commander  that  he  was  placed  there  to  defend  the  women,  children 
and  helpless,  not  to  turn  them  off,  and  the  blood  be  on  their  own 
heads  for  the  sacrifice  of  the  women  that  were  killed  in  the  terrible 
bombardment  which  followed.  They  sought  shelter  in  caves,  but 
they  were  built  to  protect  them  from  fire  from  the  river  side. 
From  the  rear  it  afforded  them  sorry  protection.  So  sharp  was 
our  target  shooting  that  a  rebel  could  not  even  show  his  head 
above  the  works,  but  that  a  dozen  bullets  would  speed  after  him. 
There  was  not  a  spot  in  the  sand-banks,  which  formed  their  loop- 
holes, but  what  was  pierced  with  bullets.  The  rebels  lay  in  their 
trenches  forty-eight  hours  without  scarcely  stirring.  They  dared 
not  attempt  to  leave.  Food  and  water  was  brought  to  them  in  the 
night.  They  showed  a  perseverance  and  valor  worthy  of  a  better 
cause,  but  it  was  not  possible  for  human  flesh  to  hold  out  much 
longer.  Their  last  ration  was  nearly  consumed  before  the  rebel 
general  asked  for  an  armistice  to  arrange  terms  of  capitulation. 

July  3d. 

The  two  Generals  met  beneath  the  wide  spreading  branches  of 
a  stately  oak  between  the  lines.  These  two  Generals  had  been 
companions  at  West  Point  Military  Academy.  Both  received 
their  education  and  were  sustained  by  the  fostering  care  of  the 
Government.  Behold  them  now!  Comments  are  unnece.-sary. 
The  picture  suggests  its  own  sequel,  General  Grant  gave  him 
until  the  next  morning  to  accede  to  his  unconditional  terms  of 
surrender.  In  the  meantime,  he  informed  him  that  if  he  did  not 
surrender,  he  would  again  open  on  the  town  and  would  not  cease 
until  it  was  in  smoking  ruins  or  he  showed  the  white  flag.  While 
the  truce  was  being  held,  the  pickets  of  the  two  armies  met  and 
conversed  on  friendly  terms  on  neutral  ground  between  the  lines. 
Blackberries  were  very  thick  there  and  friend  and  foe  picked  from 
the  same  bush  and  vied  with  each  other  in  acts  of  civility.  Our 
regiment  was  on  picket  duty  in  the  rear  at  this  time  and  we  lost 
this  occasion  of  enjoyment.  Pemberton  did  not  at  once  accede  to 


1863]  118 

Grant's  unconditional  terras.     He  was  given  until  ten  [o'clock  the 
next  day  to  consider. 

July  4th. 

The  morning  hours  of  the  Fourth  of  July  were  slowly  dragging 
toward  ten  o'clock  and  still  our  strained  visions  could  detect  no 
signs  of  surrender.  A  deep  silence  prevailed.  Finally  the  order 
came  for  the  troops  to  be  under  arms,  but  just  then  a  white  flag 
was  seen  to  flutter  from  the  rebel  works,  which  proclaimed  that 
the  finale  had  been  reached.  Then  one  long,  joyous  shout  echoed 
and  re-echoed  along  our  lines.  Its  'cadence  rang  long  and  deep 
over  hill  and  valley  until  we  caught  the  glad  anthem  and  swelled 
the  chorus  with  our  voices  in  one  glad  shout  of  joy.  It  was  a 
glorious  opening  for  the  Fourth  of  July,  this  day  sacred  to  every 
American  heart  as  a  day  that  gave  Freedom  birth,  was  made  more 
glorious,  more  hallowed  by  witnessing  the  severing  of  the 
strongest  link  in  the  chain  which  was  riveting  slavery,  despotism 
and  ruin  upon  our  fair  land,  dimming  the  bright  luster  of  our 
proud  American  escutcheon.  On  the  wings  of  the.  wind,  the  glad 
news  was  borne  to  anxious  waiting  hearts  at  our  firesides  in  the 
North,  until  every  hamlet,  town  and  city  pealed  forth  its  notes  of 
joy  at  the  great  victory.  Could  we  at  that  moment  have  rent 
aside  the  veil  which  hides  from  our  view  the  glory  which  sur- 
rounds our  revolutionary  sires  in  the  spirit  land,  methinks  we 
would  have  seen  smiles  of  gladness  radiate  their  countenances  as 
they  mingled  their  congratulations  with  the  martyr  heroes  of  this 
war  who  had  yielded  up  their  lives  to  preserve  the  freedom  for 
which  they  sacrificed  theirs.  This  great  victory  gave  us  thirty- 
one  thousand  prisoners,  three  hundred  pieces  of  artillery  and  fifty 
thousand  stand  of  small  arms,  and  an  immense  amount  of  ordnance 
stores.  Gen.  Grant  paroled  the  prisoners  and  they  were  per- 
mitted to  go  home.  They  left  singly  and  in  groups  and  by  com- 
panies and  battalions.  The  enemy's  camp  showed  plainly  the 
ravages  of  war.  In  front  of  our  picket  line  was  stationed  the  27th 
Georgia  regiment,  and  eleven  newly  made  grares  could  be  counted, 
showing  that  our  random  fire  did  some  execution.  We  hoped  now 
to  enjoy  a  short  season  of  rest,  but  scarcely  had  the  excitement 
begun  to  abate,  consequent  upon  the  surrender  of  the  city  before 
we  received  orders  to  be  ready  to  march  immediately. 

July  5th. 

The  indomitable  Grant,  never  easy  when  any  armed  traitors 


119  [1863 

were  within  striking  distance,  immediately  upon  the  surrender  of 
Vicksburg,  turned  upon  Johnson,  hoping  to  give  him  a  blow 
before  he  heard  of  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  but  that  wary  General 
had  no  desire  to  measure  swords  with  Grant  just  then  and  so  he 
beat  a  precipitate  retreat,  closely  followed  by  our  victorious  army. 
Only  one  corps  was  left  in  and  around  Vicksburg,  except  the  sick  and 
wounded.  I  was  feeling  quite  unwell  at  this  time  and  the  doctor 
advised  me  to  stay  back  with  the  sick,  but  I  thought  that  it  was 
only  temporary  illness,  so  I  concluded  to  start  with  the  regiment. 
Early  on  the  morning  of  the  5th  we  were  on  the  move.  The 
weather  was  excessively  hot.  I  came  very  near  giving  out  the 
first  day,  but  I  got  permission  to  fall  out  from  the  ranks  and  take 
my  own  time.  In  this  manner,  I  got  along  quite  well.  We 
camped  near  Black  River  the  first  night,  having  made  only  nine 
miles.  Here  we  had  to  wait  until  other  troops  crossed,  and  it  was 
not  until  the  morning  of  the  sixth  that  we  crossed. 

July  6th. 

On  this  day  we  halted  at  five  o'clock  p.  M.  on  the  battle  ground 
of  Champion  Hill  and  supposed  that  we  were  going  into  camp. 
Our  regiment  was  detailed  for  picket  duty.  We  had  scarcely 
been  posted  before  orders  came  to  resume  the  march.  The  night 
set  in  dark  and  stormy.  The  rain  came  down  in  torrents.  We 
were  soon  wet  to  the  skin.  The  water  in  the  road  was  ankle  deep, 
and  we  had  to  pick  our  way  by  the  flash  of  tlie  lightning.  In  this 
way  we  continued  on  until  after  midnight,  when  we  halted  on  a 
high  hill  to  seek  rest  and  sleep. 

July  7th. 

A  huge  fire  of  rails  was  soon  built,  and  stretching  ourselves  on 
a  few  rails  before  the  fire,  we  soon  fell  into  a  profound  slumber, 
from  which  the  rain  beating  upon  our  faces  failed  to  arouse  us. 
The  cause  of  this  sudden  move  was  this:  Our  advance  had  en- 
countered the  enemy's  rear  near  this  place  and  a  prudent  com- 
mander like  Sherman,  kept  his  men  well  in  hand  for  emergencies. 
By  daylight,  we  were  on  the  march  again,  but  the  roads  were  so 
bad  we  only  made  fifteen  miles  that  day. 

July  8th. 

Our  advance  were  continually  skirmishing  with  the  rebs.  The 
next  day  we  halted  within  fifteen  miles  of  Jackson. 

July  9th. 

On  the  9th,  when  within  six  miles  of  Jackson,  our  brigade*  was 


1863]  120 

ordered  to  halt  and  guard  a  large  train  which  was  left  here.  Our 
provisions  now  failed  us  and  we  subsisted  for  three  days  on  green 
corn.  Salt  was  very  scarce  and  it  set  a  good  many  of  the  boys  into 
a  diarrhosa.  I  was  lucky  enough  to  have  some  salt  with  me,  and 
Roll,  William,  Milt,  Charlie  and  myself  had  a  good  dish  of  succo- 
tash. The  boys  foraged  the  country  for  miles  around  but  failed 
to  find  anything  good  in  the  eating  line.  Jeff  Davis'  plantation 
was  only  a  few  miles  from  our  camp.  Some  of  the  boys  visited  it 
and  brought  away  relics.  Some  went  to  his  library  and  brought  away 
some  of  his  books.  Others  would  bring  away  a  piece  of  a  carpet  for 
a  blanket.  William  got  a  piece  of  the  latter,  but  the  most  valuable 
of  all  was  Jeff  Davis'  private  correspondence.  These  private  letters 
of  the  rebel  chieftain  opened  our  eyes  to  the  deep  duplicity  practiced 
by  the  .leading  rebels  long  before  the  final  outbreak.  This  corres- 
pondence embraced  letters  to  the  leading  men  of  the  South  of  the 
Yancey  and  Rhett  school.  There  were  also  letters  from  ex-presi- 
dent Pierce  implicating  him  in  a  great  measure  as  being  in  sym- 
pathy with  Southern  tire-eaters. 

At  the  time  these  letters  were  written,  from  1852  until  1860, 
Jefferson  C.  Davis  was  a  senator  of  the  United  States  from  the 
state  of  Mississippi.  His  speeches  at  that  time,  both  in  congress 
and  in  public,  pompously  proclaimed  his  great  devotion  to  the 
Union.  In  Faneuil  Hall,  in  Boston,  he  used  the  words:  "Palsied 
be  the  hand  which  attempts  to  sever  the  ties  which  bind  the 
American  Union,"  yet,  at  this  time,  he  was  concocting  his  hellish 
plan  for  the  disruption  of  this  government.  To  Governor  Rhett, 
of  South  Carolina,  he  urged  the  necessity  of  more  vigorous  action. 
He  accused  him  of  lukewarmness.  Secret  circulars  were  issued, 
poisoning  and  prejudicing  the  Southern  mind  and  heart  against 
what  they  called  the  tyranny  of  the  North  and  with  the  poor, 
ignorant  classes,  they  too  well  succeeded.  At  the  time  of 
Buchanan's  election,  in  a  letter  to  his  brother,  Davis  used  the 
words:  "We  have  now  four  more  years  to  prepare  in,"  that  is  to 
say,  that  while  James  Buchanan  is  President  of  the  United  States, 
we  have  a  friend  and  ally  who  will  not  interfere  in  our  traitorous 
schemes.  At  the  same  time,  the  language  implies  that  at  the  next 
presidential  election  the  tide  would  turn  against  them  and  that  they 
must  mature  their  plans  during  Buchanan's  administration.  The 
leading  rebels,  to  further  their  schemes  of  secession,  made  the 
grossest  misstatements  and  resorted  to  the  vilest  depths  of 


1:21  [1803 

treachery.  To  our  laboring  female  population,  such  as  worked  in 
factories,  etc.,  they  gave  the  name  of  prostitutes.  Our  mechanics, 
men  of  genius,  were  nothing  but  mudsills,  still,  these  despised 
mudsills,  as  they  were  termed,  built  their  cities,  railroads  and  all 
their  manufacturing  establishments,  and  to  them,  more  than  to  any 
other  class  of  people,  are  they  indebted  for  whatever  of  prosperity 
they  have  enjoyed.  In  comparing  the  resources  of  the  South  with 
those  of  the  North,  they  claimed  that  the  little  State  of  North 
Carolina  was  equal  to  five  of  the  New  England  States  or  to  Penn- 
sylvania or  Ohio.  They  also  claimed  that  the  resources  of  the 
South  were  inexhaustible  while  the  North  was  already  pinched  with 
want.  Thus,  by  a  system  of  lies  industriously  circulated,  they 
succeeded  in  uniting  the  South  against  the  North  in  a  deadly  war- 
fare. While  the  poor  deluded  victims  bore  the  brunt  of  the  battle, 
the  chivalry  bore  off  the  spoils.  This  boasted  chivalry  represented 
the  North  as  carrying  on  the  war  for  plunder:  that  our  purpose 
was  to  pillage,  burn  and  destroy  their  homes,  free  their  slaves  and 
spread  general  ruin  and  desolation  in  our  track.  The  fierv  appeals 
of  their  leaders  found  a  responsive  echo  in  the  hearts  of  the  deluded 
Southern  people.  This  picture  is  not  overdrawn.  I  have  the 
evidence  of  my  own  senses  that  this  devilish  deception  was 
practiced  upon  the  ignorant,  and  to  Jeff  Davis  more  than  any 
other  man,  do  I  ascribe  the  guilt  of  producing  this  state  of  affairs, 
and  ever  since,  I  have  had  a  strong  desire  to  have  justice  meted 
out  to  him.  I  am  sure  that  he  will  get  it  sooner  or  later. 

July  14th. 

Much  to  our  satisfaction,  we  now  received  orders  to  march  to 
the  front  and  join  our  division.  Before  night  we  had  taken  our 
position  in  line  of  battle.  Johnson  had  made  a  stand  at  Jackson. 
Gen.  Sherman  concluded  not  to  sacrifice  the  lives  of  his  men  by 
assaulting  their  works  when  a  safer  and  surer  method  was  open  to 
him.  So  we  commenced  fortifying  and  gradually  extending  our 
lines  toward  the  rear  of  the  enemy  with  the  purpose  of  surround- 
ing: him  and  cutting  off  his  retreat.  Our  division-commander,. 

O  tj 

Gen.  Lauman,  now  made  a  blunder  which  lost  him  his  command. 
In  his  strong  desire  for  popularity  and  promotion,  he  overdid  the 
thing.  He  misinterpreted  an  order  to  move  forward  our  line  for  a 
charge  on  the  rebel  works.  The  charge  was  made  and  the  rebels 
finding  it  unsupported,  concentrated  their  whole  available  force 
against  us.  Unfalteringly  we  swept  up  to  within  a  few  rods  of 


1st;:}]  122 

their  works,  but  their  fire  was  too  terrific  for  flesh  and  blood  to 
stand.  We  were  forced  to  retire  with  fully  one-fourth  of  the 
boys  placed  hors  de  combat.  A  flag  of  truce  was  sent  in  asking 
permission  to  bury  our  dead.  It  was  refused.  They  lay  where 
they  had  fallen  until  the  stench  became  so  offensive  to  the  rebels 
that  they  were  forced  to  do  something  with  them.  So  without  any 
regard  to  decency,  they  scooped  out  shallow  holes  and  rolled  them 
in  and  left  a  great  many  arms  and  legs  in  sight. 

July  loth. 

By  the  15th,  we  had  them  nearly  surrounded.  One  more  day 
would  have  cut  off  their  retreat,  but  that  wary  General,  Johnson, 
was  not  to  be  caught  napping.  Silently,  and  in  a  masterly  manner, 
he  effected  a  retreat  and  our  troops  took  quiet  possession  of  the 
place  and  at  once  proceeded  to  gather  up  the  spoils  of  war. 
Tobacco  seemed  to  be  the  greatest  spoil,  but  some  succeeded  in 
getting  the  genuine  "yellow  dogs"  (gold).  We  pursued  the  foe 
as  far  as  Brandon,  ten  miles  from  Jackson,  and  then  returned. 
My  health,  which  had  for  some  time  been  quite  poor,  now  entirely 
failed  me.  I  had  a  run  of  fever.  I  was  sent  out  one  day  in 
charge  of  a  fatigue  party,  to  clear  the  ground  in  front  of  our 
works,  but  before  it  was  finished,  I  was  forced  to  give  up  and  go 
to  camp.  I  found  Dr.  Myron  Underwood  there  looking  for  me. 
He  was  assistant  surgeon  of  a  regiment  camped  near  by.  He 
advised  me  to  take  medicine  immediately  and  try  and  break  up 
my  fever.  I  was  sent  back  to  Vicksburg  in  a  sick  train  and 
tarted  one  day  in  advance  of  the  army.  We  went  by  way  of 
Raymond  and  the  army  took  the  old  route.  Near  Raymond  is  an 
artesian  well,  celebrated  for  the  medicinal  virtue  of  its  waters. 
The  existence  of  the  water  was  made  known  to  a  man  by  a  vision, 
and  under  the  influence  of  that  vision,  he  proceeded  to  put  down 
the  well,  but  his  means  failing  and  meeting  with  other  discourage- 
ments, he  abandoned  it  for  a  time.  He  again  had  the  same  vision 
and  again  went  to  work  and  finished  the  well  and  his  vision  was 
verified.  Hundreds  of  invalids  visited  the  well  yearly  and  its 
waters  proved  to  be  a  great  benefit  to  them.  The  weather  was  ex- 
tremely hot  and  our  wagon  being  uncovered,  I  suffered  excru- 
ciating tortures  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun. 

July  16th. 

When  within  ten  miles  of  Vicksburg,  I  left  my  hot  bed  and 
went  the  rest  of  the  way  afoot,  though  so  weak  I  could  scarcely 


123  [1863 

walk.  I  got  into  camp  about  six  hours  before  the  regiment.  We 
expected  to  enjoy  a  short  season  of  rest  during  the  hottest  part  of 
the  season,  but  our  expectations  were  poorly  realized.  An  order 
now  came  to  grant  furloughs  at  the  rate  of  five  per  cent,  of  all 
enlisted  men.  In  consideration  of  the  state  of  my  health,  1  was 
proposed  as  one  of  the  favored  ones,  but  there  were  some  men  who 
had  families  at  home  which  needed  their  presence  and  I  yielded 
my  claim  to  them,  and  my  friends,  Stockwell  and  Thompson 
went.  We  now  moved  camp  inside  the  rebel  works,  one  mile 
south  of  the  city.  The  ground  was  still  strewed  with  the  filth  of 
the  rebel  camp  and  the  air  was  pregnant  with  noxious  odors.  The 
water  was  very  poor.  We  drew  a  great  portion  of  it  from  the 
river  which  was  more  than  a  mile  from  camp.  As  a  consequence 
of  our  foul  camp  and  the  impure  water,  the  sick  list  increased 
rapidly,  endangering  the  organization  of  the  regiment.  It  became 
necessary  to  move  camp  to  a  more  healthy  position  in  order  to 
preserve  the  organization.  Every  day  the  solemn  strokes  of  the 
muffled  drum  told  the  requiem  of  departed  comrades. 

July  ITth. 

I  was  attacked  with  a  dysentery  but  by  being  very  careful,  I 
managed  to  keep  around.  One  day  I  went  to  the  city  and  called 
on  John  Eddy,  who  was  clerk  in  the  purveyor's  department  and  he 
got  me  up  a  dinner  which  did  me  good.  Vicksburg  is  situated  on  a 
series  of  bluffs  commencing  at  the  river  and  extending  back.  Each 
bluff  rising  above  the  one  in  front.  Aside  from  its  commercial 
importance,  it  is  an  inferior  city.  Its  population  is  about  six 
thousand.  Jackson  is  situated  forty-four  miles  east  of  Vicksburg 
on  Pearl  river.  It  is  a  fine  looking  city  and  surrounded  by  a 
splendid  looking  country.  The  State  Capitol,  situated  in  the 
center  of  the  town,  is  a  fine  looking  structure.  The  rebels  burnt 
the  best  part  of  the  city  before  Sherman  occupied  it.  Much  to 
our  satisfaction,  we  now  received  orders  to  take  transports  and  go 
down  the  river  to  Natchez.  We  were  now  transferred  from 
Logan's  command,  loth  corps  to  the  16th  corps,  Maj.-Gen. 
E.  O.  C.  Ord  commanding. 

July  20th. 

But  a  few  days  elapsed  before  we  were  transferred  to  the  17th 
corps,  Maj.-Gen.  James  B.  McPherson  commanding.  We  were 
still  on  the  4th  division,  Brig. -Gen.  M.  M.  Crocker,  commanding. 
This  worthy  officer  succeeded  Gen.  Lauman  when  he  was  displaced 


1863]  124- 

at  Jackson.  Gen.  Lauman  carried  his  hatred  of  our  regiment  so 
far  as  to  prejudice  Gen.  Crocker  against  us,  but  after  being  with  us 
for  awhile,  he  changed  his  mind  concerning  us  and  we  became  the 
favorite  regiment  of  his  command.  In  conversation  and  appear- 
ance, Gen.  Crocker  was  a  very  rough  appearing  man.  Swearing 
was  second  nature  to  him,  but  a  braver  officer  never  drew  his 
sword.  (He  has  lately  died.)  We  found  the  95th  Illinois  at 
Natchez  doing  garrison  duty.  We  camped  on  the  levee  the  first 
night.  The  next  morning  we  marched  one  and  one-half  miles 
north  of  the  city  and  went  into  camp.  The  U.  S.  marine  hospital 
is  situated  here  and  is  a  tine  looking  building. 

July  21st. 

We  hardly  got  established  in  camp  before  an  order  came  for 
our  brigade  to  guard  a  train  of  wagons  to  Kingston,  twenty  miles 
east  of  Natchez,  to  secure  twenty  thousand  bales  of  cotton.  Our 
troops  captured  the  place,  but  fearing  an  attack  from  overwhelm- 
ing numbers,  sent  back  for  re-inforcements.  I  had  been  left  at 
Natchez  sick  when  my  regiment  went  out.  I  went  out  with  the 
re-inforcements.  I  found  the  boys  having  a  jolly  time  and  living 
on  the  top  shelf.  We  were  in  a  rich  country.  Our  tables  were 
loaded  with  fruits,  jellies,  vegetables,  etc.  A  company  of  the 
95th  got  a  keg  of  beer,  and  of  course,  they  had  to  treat  their 
friends  in  the  15th,  and  together,  some  of  them  had  rather  a  jolly 
time,  and  some  of  their  heads  got  so  heavy  that  they  could  not 
walk  straight.  It  rained  a  great  deal  of  the  time  we  were  out 
here,  and  having  no  tents  with  us,  we  got  wet.  I  took  cold. 
Finally  the  last  load  of  cotton  was  secured  and  we  started  for 
Natchez  and  it  rained  hard  all  day.  I  got  thoroughly  drenched. 
I  now  had  to  give  up.  A  fever  set  in,  commencing  with  ague  and 
terminating  with  an  intermittent  fever.  For  two  weeks  I  did  not 
leave  my  bed.  This  was  the  first  time  that  I  had  been  confined  to 
a  sick-bed  for  any  length  of  time  since  I  enlisted,  and  it  seemed 
tough  to  bear.  Just  as  soon  as  I  was  able  to  be  around,  I  went 

O 

back  to  the  company.  I  paid  dearly  for  my  imprudence.  I  had 
a  relapse,  and  for  several  days  I  lay  in  a  precarious  state,  insensible 
to  anything.  The  doctor  considered  my  case  doubtful,  but  not 
liking  the  idea  of  a  doctor  getting  seven  dollars  for  burying  me,  I 
determined  to  disappoint  him,  but  it  was  a  long  time  before  I  was 
well  enough  to  resume  my  duties,  and  to  this  day,  I  have 
never  fully  recovered  from  the  effects  of  that  illness.  While 


125  [1S03 

insensible,   the  doctor  got   a   dose    of   calomel   down    me  which 
salivated  me. 

August  1st. 

Our  division  again  received  marching  orders.  They  crossed  the 
Mississippi  into  Louisiana  and  proceeded  as  far  as  Washita  river  and 
captured  Ft.  Beauregard.  The  fort  was  six  miles  from  Natchez 
and  our  boys  made  the  trip  there  and  back  in  five  days. 

August  10th. 

My  health  still  continued  poor.  I  went  back  to  the  company, 
but  was  still  kept  on  the  sick  list.  1  reported  for  duty  but  was 
not  accepted  and  all  the  while  that  I  was  at  Natchez.  I  did  not  do 
any  military  duty  except  voluntarily. 

August  15th. 

We  now  went  to  work  to  prepare  better  quarters,  supposing 
that  we  would  pass  the  winter  here. 

August  20th. 

We  built  a  square  frame  four  or  five  feet  high,  boarded  it  up 
and  set  our  tent  on  top.  On  one  side  we  built  our  bunks,  one 
above  the  other.  This  left  over  one-half  of  the  tent  for  spare 
room.  We  had  a  writing  table  and  several  camp  stools.  In  one 
corner  was  a  door  and  in  the  other  a  cozy  little  fire-place  with  the 
chimney  built  on  the  outside.  Just  as  we  had  got  the  chimney 
built,  Captain  Smith  notified  me  that  my  name  had  been  sent  in 
for  a  furlough,  but  perhaps  it  would  be  several  weeks  before  it  got 
around. 

August  25th. 

While  here,  Col.  Hall,  who  now  commanded  the  brigade, 
ordered  matched  drills  between  the  different  companies  comprising 
the  brigade.  As  a  reward  for  the  best  drilled  company,  it  was  to 
be  excused  from  duty  for  ten  days.  This  was  quite  an  item,  as 
our  duty  was  quite  heavy. 

August  30th. 

The  different  companies  now  set  to  work  drilling,  cleaning 
guns  and  improving  everything  that  would  make  a  good  military 
show.  Each  company  knew  the  day  of  its  trial.  Judges  were 
appointed  from  each  regiment,  and  in  case  of  their  disagreeing, 
Col.  Hall  was  appointed  umpire,  but  jealousies  and  ill-feelings 
were  soon  created.  Col.  Hall  was  accused  of  favoring  his  old 
regiment,  the  14th. 


1863]  l-2<; 

September  8th. 

Company  D  acquitted  itself  creditably  and  the  judges  were 
unanimous  in  the  opinion'  that  we  excelled  in  drill  and  manual  of 
arms,  but  one  or  two  of  the  boys  were  dressed  slovenly  and  a 
speck  of  dirt  was  discovered  on  their  guns,  so  we  were  counted 
out,  and  so  it  went  until  finally  the  judges  awarded  no  decision. 
The  only  good  the  drill  did  was  getting  the  arms  in  number  one 
order  and  perfecting  our  drill  a  little  more. 

September  10th. 

Col.  Crocker  was  present  at  these  drills  and  warmly  applauded 
our  efforts.  My  health  had  so  far  improved  that  I  was  able  to 
walk.  1  went  down  to  the  95th  quite  often  to  see  Asahel  Wiff 
and  other  friends.  Occasionally  I  attended  church. 

September  15th. 

I  went  to  the  catholic  church  one  morning  and  was  quite 
amused  with  their  performances.  It  was  quite  galling  to  these 
rebel  divines  not  to  be  permitted  to  pray  in  public  for  the  success 
of  the  South. 

Natchez  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  of  the  South.  It 
was  nearly  destroyed  by  a  tornado  in  1820,  but  has  been  rebuilt. 
It  is  a  very  wealthy  place,  its  principal  inhabitants  being  large 
planters  whose  plantations  were  in  the  surrounding  country.  Its 
streets  are  neatly  laid  out,  wide  and  well  shaded.  There  are  a 
good  many  splendid  residences  in  the  suburbs.  "Natchez  under 
the  Hill"  as  it  is  called,  is  situated  on  the  levee  at  the  foot  of  the 
bluff  and  it  was  a  perfect  cess-pool  of  vice.  It  had  always  been 
the  resort  of  the  worst  characters  and  was  noted  for  the  amount 
of  crime  which  had  been  perpetrated  in  its  midst. 

September  30th. 

There  were  camped  here  about  twenty  thousand  negroes.  Their 
condition  was  distressing  in  the  extreme.  The  small-pox  broke 
out  amongst  them,  carrying  off  as  many  as  one  hundred  daily. 
They  just  rolled  in  filth  and  rags,  dependent  upon  the  Govern- 
ment for  support.  A  good  many  earned  a  little  by  washing 
clothes  for  the  soldiers.  Most  of  the  able  bodied  males  enlisted 
and  several  regiments  were  formed  here.  Some  of  our  boys  went 
in  as  officers  of  companies. 

October  5th. 

Tidings  of  the  bloody  b-ittle  of  Chickamauga  now  reached  us. 
It  came  first  through  rebel  sources.     There  had  been  a  rebel  regi- 


127  [1863 

ment  formed  from  the  principal  young  business  men  of  Natchez, 
which  was  in  the  fight  and  only  about  thirty  escaped  unhurt. 
There  was  weeping  and  wailing  in  the  city.  These  men  were  the 
flower  of  the  society  there,  and  although  our  foes,  we  could  not 
but  sympathize  with  their  friends  in  their  loss. 

October  10th. 

We  now  commenced  fortifying.  One  of  the  best  houses  in  the 
city  was  pulled  down  over  the  rebel  owner's  head  and  a  fort  built 
on  its  site.  The  rebel  General  Rodney  threatened  an  attack,  and 
for  two  days  our  troops  were  kept  under  arms.  We  finally 
marched  out  to  meet  him  and  he  retreated  in  hot  haste.  There  is 
a  peculiar  feature  in  the  country  around  Natchez  which  deserves 
mention, viz:  deep  gulches  or  a  sinking  away  of  the  earth.  These 
sink-holes  are  sometimes  abrupt  and  are  from  eighty  to  one 
hundred  feet  deep  and  are  very  irregular  in  shape.  They  used  to 
be  hiding  places  for  thieves,  etc.,  the  thick  cane  brake  and  caverns 
affording  good  concealment. 

Some  supposed  that  these  gulches  were  caused  by  earthquakes, 
others  by  quicksand  settling  away.  The  ground  is  very  sandy, 
and  when  heavy  freshets  occur,  it  caves  in.  Plantations  have  been 
badly  injured  and  the  graveyard  at  Natchez  partially  destroyed  in 
this  manner.  Millions  of  dollars  have  been  expended  in  building 
something  to  prevent  this  destruction. 

October  25th. 

My  furlough  had  now  gotten  around,  duly  signed  and  approved 
by  Gen.  McPherson.  The  date  was  left  blank  and  Gel.  Rogers 
gave  me  permission  to  fill  that  but  not  put  it  beyond  the  present 
month,  so  I  dated  it  the  29th,  thus  gaining  four  days'  time.  I  now 
felt  in  excellent  spirits  at  the  thought  that  I  would  soon  be  at 
home.  To  a  war-worn,  sick  soldier,  the  shelter  of  home,  where 
love  and  kindness  only  greet  him,  is  a  heaven  upon  earth.  It  was 
with  feelings  of  regret  that  even  for  so  short  a  time  I  was  to  leave 
the  boys.  The  sacred  ties  of  friendship,  cemented  and  strengthened 
by  sharing  mutual  toil  and  danger  were  strong.  On  the  29th  of 
October,  I  was  on  board  a  steamer  with  my  face  set  homeward. 

October  30th. 

On  the  30th  I  arrived  at  Cairo.  When  my  feet  again  pressed 
the  soil  of  my  adopted  State,  feelings  of  joy  tilled  my  soul.  Every 
little  delay  annoyed  me  exceedingly.  My  heart  filled  with  pride, 
viewing  as  I  passed  along,  the  thrift  and  plenty  which  prevailed 


1863]  li'.s 

wherever  the  eye  might  look.  Large  fields  of  golden  corn  were 
bending  "neath  the  weight  of  their  autumnal  load.  Huge  ricks  of 
grain  and  hay  bespoke  the  plenty  with  which  the  country  abounded. 
The  villages  were  teeming  with  busy  life.  A  stranger,  to  pass 
through  the  State,  could  not  realize  that  a  terrible  civil  war  was 
raging  in  our  land  and  that  one  hundred  thousand  of  the  brave 
yeoman  of  the  soil  of  Illinois  were  battling  with  vehement  energy 
and  bravery  to  save  this  fair  land  from  disruption  and  desolation. 

November  1st. 

I  could  not  help  contrasting  this  busy  scene  with  the  desolation 
which  reigned  in  the  South.  On  the  one  hand  were  the  friends  of 
freedom  and  free  labor,  and  thrift  and  plenty  reigned  supreme. 
On  the  other  hand,  were  the  friends  of  slavery  and  secession, 
desolating  the  land  which  fostered  them  and  seeking  to  involve 

<—  O 

the  whole  in  one  common  ruin.  The  next  day's  light  revealed  to 
me  the  spires  of  the  Golden  City.  I  was  just  in  time  to  take  the 
morning  train.  With  lightning  speed,  I  passed  old  familiar  objects, 
and,  at  noon,  I  arrived  at  Marengo.  I  had  hoped  to  surprise  my 
friends  but  they  had  been  expecting  me.  Kindly  faces  and  warm 
greetings  met  me  on  every  side.  I  hastened  to  my  old  friend, 
Billy  Holgate,  to  get  barbered  before  presenting  myself  to  my 
friends,  but  Nivvie,  my  darling,  impulsive  sister,  who  was  attend- 
ing school  at  Marengo,  heard  of  my  arrival,  traced  me  to  the 
barber  shop  and  regardless  of  consequences,  threw  her  arms  around 
me,  sobbing  like  a  child.  What  matter  to  her  that  my  bearded 
face  was  all  lather!  It  was  enough  that  1  was  there,  and  for  awhile 
.good  Billy  had  to  stand  back.  Other  school  girls  had  come  peep- 
ing in  at  the  door.  All  shy,  yet,  anxious  to  greet  me.  I  now 
started  for  uncle  Lorenzo's,  but  news  of  my  arrival  had  preceded 
me.  My  good  old  grandfather  could  not  wait  for  me  to  get  there 
but  came  out  to  meet  me,  with  faltering  voice  and  tear-dimmed 
eyes,  he  reached  out  his  aged  hands  to  bless  and  welcome  me. 
Dear  old  man!  He  is  at  rest  now!  If  all  mankind  had  been  as 
sinless  as  he,  this  horrid  war  would  never  have  been.  Equally 
warm  were  the  greetings  of  the  others.  After  dinner,  I  hastened 
up  to  Mr.  Crissey's  to  see  Cinda  who  was  there  on  a  visit.  On  my 
way,  I  encountered  Let  Eddy  who  was  teaching  school  at  Marengo. 
I  had  the  satisfaction  of  completely  surprising  Cinda.  One  would 
have  thought  to  have  seen  how  she  acted  that  she  was  a  little 
demented.  Just  as  twilight  was  folding  her  curtain  over  Mother 


[1868 

Nature,  I  arrived  at  home.  I  tried  to  steal  upon  them  unawares, 
but  Manda's  watchful  eyes  caught  sight  of  me  and  when  opposite 
the  weeping  willow,  her  arms  were  twined  around  my  neck,  she 
weeping  and  laughing  by  turns.  Mother  heard  the  glad  cry  and  a 
fervent  "Thank  God"  escaped  her  lips  and  she  was  soon  weeping 
on  my  neck.  No  less  affecting  was  father's  warm  greeting.  Rose, 
too,  had  her  cry  and  Amory,  very  dignified,  came  forward,  hardly 
knowing  whether  to  laugh  or  cry.  Lester  was  absent  at  the  time, 
but  when  he  returned  and  found  that  I  was  there,  something  quite 
moist  was  seen  to  gather  in  his  eye  and  brother  and '  brother  were 
clasped  in  a  strong  embrace.  Father,  mother,  brothers,  sisters,  I 
am  with  you  once  again,  but  in  my  joy  at  beholding  you,  I  cannot 
forget  that  there  is  one  who  is  not  here  to  greet  me  (in  body). 
One  loved  voice,  one  loved  form  is  absent,  but  if  angels  are  per- 
mitted to  visit  this  mundane  sphere,  Alzina  was  there  and 
enveloped  us  all  with  her  great  love. 


1863]  130 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

November  10th. 

I  will  pass  over  briefly  my  stay  at  home.  My  readers  are 
already  familiar  with  it,  but  I  cannot  omit  to  again  acknowledge 
the  unceasing  kindness  and  care  during  the  illness  which  succeeded 
my  arrival.  In  the  rough  usages  of  camp  life,  a  soldier  learns  to 
rely  a  great  deal  on  self  during  trouble,  but  to  be  suddenly  trans- 
ferred to  where  every  wish  is  anticipated,  to  be  petted  and 
indulged  unceasingly,  formed  so  striking  a  contrast  that  I  thought 
it  was  taking  away  my  military  pride  to  submit  to  it.  For  every 
peevish  and  fretful  word,  I  humbly  crave  pardon.  Kindness  will 
conquer  the  most  rebellious  nature.  I  now  learned  from  letters 
from  the  boys  that  our  division  had  moved  up  to  Vicksburg.  After 
the  first  glad  excitement  of  being  at  home  began  to  subside,  I 
began  to  long  for  the  companionship  of  old  friends  and  comrades, 
but  my  protracted  ill-health  made  it  necessary  for  me  to  stay  longer 
than  I  anticipated.  My  furlough  had  been  extended  twice.  I  had 
been  at  home  over  two  months.  I  felt  that  to  remain  longer  would 
be  a  neglect  of  duty.  But  here  I  must  beg  pardon  for  omitting  to 
mention  the  nuptials  of  Lester  and  Mary.  I  owe  them  many  thanks 
for  having  that  interesting  ceremony  performed  while  I  was  there  to 
witness  it. 

December  1st. 

Government  had  offered  large  inducements  for  the  first  three 
years'  men  to  re-enlist,  and  by  letters  from  the  boys  I  learned  that 
a  good  portion  of  the  15th  had  re-enlisted  for  three  years  longer. 
Roll,  Milt  and  Charlie  Mitchell  amongst  the  number. 

December  10th. 

This  produced  a  feverish  state  of  excitement  in  my  mind.  I 
longed  to  be  with  them.  I  did  not  say  much  about  it  to  my  folks 
for  I  knew  that  they  would  oppose  me.  Perhaps  it  was  fool- 
hardy to  think  of  re-enlisting  in  my  poor  state  of  health,  but  I 
believed  that  one  year  would  see  the  end  of  the  Rebellion  and  I 
thought  that  I  could  stand  it  that  length  of  time. 

I  had  a  strong  desire  to  see  the  end  and  nothing:  but  absolute 
physical  disability  would  prevent  it. 


.-* 


January  5th,  1SC4. 

January  5th  was  the  day  set  for  my  departure.  I  felt  that  the 
Star  of  Destiny  which  had  so  long  protected  me  would  still  con- 
tinue to  shield  me  and  that  when  peace  had  dawned  upon  us, 
would  return  me  safe  home  at  last.  The  last  good-by  had  been 
spoken  and  I  stepped  on  board  and  was  soon  rapidly  whirling 
toward  Dixie. 

January  10th. 

On  arriving  at  Cairo,  I  found  the  river  so  blocked  with  ice  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  a  steamer  to  leave  for  several  days. 
The  first  steamer  that  left,  the  Illinois,  bore  me  as  a  passenger. 
We  were  soon  beneath  the  frowning  batteries  of  the  forts  at 
Columbus,  Kentucky.  The  next  day  we  touched  at  Memphis. 
On  the  same  evening  we  passed  Helena,  and  on  the  ninth  day 
after  leaving  home  I  landed  at  Vicksburg.  I  found  the  95th  here 
but  Asahel  had  been  transferred  to  the  invalid  corps.  Russell 
Mallory  and  Dan  Mitchell  went  to  my  camp  with  me. 

It  was  situated  eight  miles  from  Vicksburg  and  named  Camp 
Cowan. 

January  15th. 

1  found  the  boys  all  well  and  in  excellent  spirits.  They  were 
in  comfortable  quarters.  They  had  log  cabins  sixteen  feet  square. 
I  found  mess  No.  4  all  quartered  together,  but  they  had  a  place  left 
for  me.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  camp  and  we  passed  three 
months  of  contentment  here.  Soon  after  getting  back,  I  enrolled 
my  name  as  a  veteran  and  got  my  enlistment  dated  back  to  the 
1st  of  January.  The  other  boys  enlisted  the  15th  of  December. 
My  health  was  now  much  improved. 

January  20th. 

Camp  life  and  out-door  exercise  brought  strength  to  my  frame. 
Every  day  we  engaged  in  the  pastime  of  playing  ball,  jumping, 
etc.  We  occasionally  had  battalion  drill. 

January  25th. 

A  good  many  of  the  boys  were  engaged  in  making  keepsakes 
out  of  "Pemberton's  oak"  as  it  was  called,  the  wood  being  gotten 
from  the  tree  under  which  Pemberton  and  Grant  sat  when  the 
final  terms  of  the  surrender  of  Vicksburg  were  agreed  upon. 
There  was  not  a  root  or  branch  remaining. 

A  great  deal  of  dissatisfaction  began  to  be  manifested  now 
amongst  the  veterans.  Government  had  not  fulfilled  its  promise. 


1864]  132 

We  were  to  have  thirty  days'  furlough  and  one  installment  of 
bounty  immediately  after  enlisting. 

January  31st. 

There  was  no  immediate  prospect  of  either,  but  instead,  a  long 
and  arduous  campaign  was  marked  out  for  us.  A  good  many 
would  have  backed  out  if  they  could,  but  they  had  signed  their 
enlistment  papers  and  there  was  no  help  for  them.  We  were  to 
receive  four  hundred  dollars  government  bounty,  to  be  paid,  one 
installment  of  sixty  dollars  when  sworn  in  and  another  two  months 
after,  the  rest  in  semi-annual  installments  of  fifty  dollars,  unless 
honorably  discharged  before  the  expiration  of  our  time,  in  which 
case,  we  were  to  receive  the  residue  in  full. 

February  1st. 

We  broke  up  camp  at  Cowan  on  the  31st  and  removed  to  Camp 
Hebron,  near  Black  River  bridge.  The  enemy  here  made  a  dash 
at  our  picket  line  but  was  easily  repulsed.  We  now  made  our 
final  preparation  for  the  campaign.  The  command  comprised  the 
greater  portion  of  the  16th  and  17th  corps,  the  former  commanded 
by  Maj.-Gen.  Hurlbut,  the  latter  by  Maj.-Gen.  McPherson.  Gen. 
Sherman  was  in  command  of  the  expedition.  Each  corps  had  a 
train  of  over  five  hundred  wagons  with  ammunition  and  provision. 
We  went  in  light  marching  order,  carrying  only  one  blanket 
apiece  and  no  tents. 

February  3d. 

We  left  camp  on  the  3d,  halted  awhile  at  Black  River,  where 
Gen.  McPherson  issued  an  order  which  was  read  to  each  regiment. 
He  predicted  that  this  campaign  would  be  short  and  glorious.  He 
regretted  the  necessity  that  compelled  the  veterans  to  go  on  this 
march  before  they  had  had  their  furloughs,  but  he  promised  them 
that  they  should  have  them  as  soon  as  they  returned.  This  satis- 
fied the  boys.  We  were  still  ignorant  of  the  object  of  the  cam- 
paign, but  it  became  manifest  as  we  advanced.  Sherman  had  cut 
entirely  loose  from  his  base  and  all  communication  from  the  out- 
side world.  The  whole  nation  looked  on  in  wonder  at  this  bold 
move.  Various  were  the  conjectures  concerning  his  movements. 
Some  supposed  that  he  was  going  through  to  Mobile.  Others 
thought  that  he  was  going  to  join  Grant.  We  camped  near 
Champion  Hills  the  first  night  and  our  regiment  was  detailed  to  go 
on  picket.  The  next  morning  our  brigade  was  in  the  lead.  The 
cavalry  went  ahead  as  skirmishers,  but  they  soon  came  flying  back 


13:-)  [1864 

in  disorder.  They  had  met  a  large  force  of  rebel  cavalry  and  been 
completely  routed.  Gen.  McPherson  ordered  Gen.  Crocker  to 
send  forward  his  best  regiment  and  deploy  them  as  skirmishers, 
and  the  15th  was  ordered  to  perform  this  duty. 

Without  delay,  we  proceeded  to  the  front.  We  advanced  one 
mile  uninterrupted  and  then  came  upon  a  brigade  of  Wirt  Adams' 
rebel  cavalry.  It  was  strongly  posted  in  the  woods  across  the 
open  space  in  front  of  us.  Without  any  delay,  we  opened  fire 
upon  them,  which  they  returned.  They  being  concealed  in  the 
woods  had  the  advantage,  but  we  had  good  backing  and  did  not 
hesitate  to  attack  them.  The  14th  was  in  line  of  battle  a  short 
distance  in  our  rear  as  support.  Gen.  McPherson  rode  up  and 
took  a  survey  of  the  field  and  said  that  he  would  soon  rout  them 
out  of  that.  Just  at  this  time  a  rebel  officer  mounted  on  a  beauti- 
ful white  charger  rode  out  toward  us.  We  were  ordered  not  to 
fire,  supposing  him  to  be  a  bearer  of  dispatches.  He  rode  up  to 
within  easy  range,  coolly  drew  his  revolver  and  fired  several  shots 
at  Col,  Rogers  who  was  on  horseback,  then  wheeled  his  horse  and 
fled.  A  perfect  shower  of  bullets  was  sent  after  him,  but  strange 
to  say,  he  escaped  unhurt.  His  very  boldness  insured  his  safety. 
We  were  petrified  with  astonishment.  Now  the  order  came  to 
advance  and  we  swept  across  the  field  in  quick  time,  expecting  to 
meet  a  withering  volley  of  musketry,  but  the  rebs  deemed  it 
prudent  to  retreat,  and  just  as  we  gained  their  first  position,  we 
saw  them  posted  in  another.  The  man  on  the  white  horse  was 
riding  up  and  down  in  front  of  the  line,  encouraging  the  men. 
Shot  after  shot  was  tired  at  him  but  he  still  remained  unhurt.  He 
seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life.  A  sharp  firing  was  kept  up  on 
either  side  for  about  fifteen  minutes.  We  took  the  trees  for 
shelter  and  their  firing  did  us  little  damage. 

We  again  moved  forward  and  again  the  rebels  retreated.  The 
rider  of  the  white  horse  rode  furiously  up  and  down  the  line, 
waving  his  sword  and  vainly  trying  to  rally  them.  As  we 
advanced,  we  passed  seven  dead  rebels,  thus  showing  that  our  fire 
was  not  without  effect,  and  by  the  track  of  blood  we  knew  that 
many  were  wounded.  The  rider  of  the  white  horse  again  suc- 
ceeded in  bringing  them  to  a  stand.  Again  we  charged  them  and 
again  they  fled.  A  very  melancholy  incident  now  occurred.  The 
rebs  had  taken  a  position  just  beyond  a  dwelling  house  where 
lived  a  widow  with  three  small  children.  She  came  to  the  door  to 


1S64J  134 

see  what  was  going  on  when  a  ball  struck  her,  killing  her  instantly. 
When  our  boys  got  there,  they  found  her  form  rigid  in  death, 
lying  in  a  pool  of  her  own  life's  blood.  Her  little  children  were 
clinging  frantically  to  her,  not  realizing  that  she  was  dead.  Gen. 
Sherman  caused  a  notice  to  be  immediately  posted  on  the  house, 
specifying  the  manner  of  her  death  and  ordering  tb.3  premises  to 
be  held  as  sacred.  I  do  not  know  from  which  side  the  shot  was 
fired  that  killed  her.  About  three  o'clock  the  rebels  made  a 
determined  stand  by  a  stream  of  water  which  they  supposed  we 
would  want  to  camp  by.  The  stream  was  bordered  by  thick 
underbrush  in  which  the  rebels  lay  concealed.  In  order  to  get  at 
them  we  had  to  cross  an  open  field  two  hundred  yards  in  width. 
The  rebels  now  opened  upon  us  a  furious  fire  from  which  we  took 
shelter  behind  a  rail  fence.  They  had  now  brought  artillery  into 
play.  They  had  evidently  received  re-inforcements,  but  it  was 
necessary  to  dislodge  them,  and  we  prepared  for  this  dangerous 
charge.  We  fully  expected  to  leave  one-half  of  our  number  dead 
and  wounded  on  that  field,  but  good  luck  showed  it  otherwise. 
At  a  given  signal  we  trailed  arms  and  with  a  yell  that  made  the 
welkin  ring,  we  rushed  across  the  field.  The  rebels,  terrified, 
hastily  retreated,  after  giving  us  one^volley  which  passed  harm- 
lessly over  our  heads.  Only  one  man  was  severely  wounded, 
Lieut.  Allison,  of  Company  H.  The  regiments  in  the  rear 
suffered  more  than  we  did,  quite  a  number  being  killed  and 
wounded.  The  rebels  had  planted  their  artillery  so  as  to  rake  the 
bridge,  and  they  commenced  pouring  in  their  grape  and  canister 
upon  us  but  the  thick  bushes  prevented  it  from  doing  any  harm. 
One  shell  dropped  in  our  midst  and  exploded,  but  strange  to  say,  it 
did  not  injure  any  one,  although  it  flew  into  a  hundred  pieces. 
Col.  Rogers  asked  permission  to  charge  the  battery  but  Gen. 
McPhe.rson  was  not  willing  to  make  the  sacrifice  of  lives  which  would 
necessarily  follow  such  a  charge.  He  had  a  surer  and  safer 
method  of  dislodging  them.  He  sent  out  our  skirmishers  and 
they  flanked  the  battery  and  poured  in  so  hot  a  fire  that  it  was 
forced  to  retreat.  We  now  quietly  crossed  the  stream.  The  rebs 
did  not  annoy  us  much  more  that  day.  We  had  marched  fourteen 
miles  in  line  of  battle,  through  swamps  and  creeks,  through  dense 
woods,  valleys  and  over  mountains.  We  had  made  charge  after 
charge  and  steadily  driven  the  enemy  before  us.  We  were  now 
completely  tired  out  and  the  12th  Wisconsin  took  our  place  for  a 


135  [1864 

short  time.  We  did  not  march  much  farther  that  night. 
Generals  McPherson  and  Crocker  paid  us  a  high  compliment  for 
our  work  that  day.  The  reputation  of  the  15th  from  this  time  for 
fighting  qualities  was  second  to  none  in  the  army.  During  the 
day  Col.  Rogers  received  an  injury  in  one  eye  by  a  piece  of  shell 
throwing  dirt  into  it,  and  as  we  were  going  into  camp,  he  was 
struck  by  a  spent  ball,  fired  by  a  rebel  in  ambush,  and  he  fell  from 
his  horse  insensible,  but  he  recovered  and  would  not  relinquish  the 
command  of  the  regiment. 

In  the  last  charge  that  we  made,  we  did  not  notice  the  rider  of 
the  white  horse,  but  we  found  the  white  horse  dead  by  the  side 
of  the  road  and  the  citizens  said  it  was  one  that  Wirt  Adams  rode, 
but  whether  ^he  rider  escaped  uninjured,  we  could  not  tell.  Dur- 
ing the  night,  the  rebels  received  large  re-iuforcements  and  they 
boldly  resisted  our  march  on  the  next  day.  A  sharp  and  severe  fight 
of  fifteen  or  twenty  minutes'  duration  in  which  a  number  were 
killed  and  wounded  on  both  sides,  resulted  in  a  total  rout  of  the 
rebels.  They  did  not  oppose  us  in  a  body  after  this,  but  hung  on 
our  flanks  and  rear  to  pick  up  stragglers  and  attack  foraging 
parties.  Our  route  lay  through  a  splendid  looking  country,  remark- 
ably level,  rich  soil  and  well  watered  and  timbered.  The  most 
prominent  places  we  passed  through  were  Brandon,  Decatur  and 
Hillsboro.  At  Decatur,  Hurlbut's  train  was  attacked  by  a  band  of 
guerrillas  and  twenty  wagons  were  captured  and  destroyed.  The 
leader  of  the  assault  was  a  resident  of  Decatur.  His  splendid 
residence  and  the  principal  part  of  the  town  were  burned  in  retalia- 
tion. The  country  through  which  we  passed  was  bountifully  sup- 
plied with  bacon  and  cured  hams,  and  the  citizens,  in  order  to  put 
them  out  of  the  reach  of  the  soldiers,  secreted  them  in  swamps,  but 
it  was  impossible  to  get  them  out  of  the  reach  of  the  soldiers. 
When  our  keen  scent  and  argus  eyes  failed  us,  it  did  not  require 
much  coaxing  to  get  some  confidential  darkey  to  reveal  the  hiding 
place,  and  sometimes  from  out  some  swamp,  load  after  load  of  the 
nicest  hams  was  taken.  The  Southern  people  surpassed  the  North 
in  curing  hams.  I  never  ate  so  sweet  meat  as  in  the  South.  They 
use  a  great  deal  of  saltpeter  and  molasses  in  curing  them  and 
smoke  them  but  little.  I  stood  the  march  very  well  until  one 
afternoon,  about  the  tenth  day  out,  I  had  a  violent  shake  of  the 
ague.  However,  I  kept  on.  When  my  fever  was  at  its  height,  I 
lay  down  in  the  edge  of  the  woods  to  rest  and  fell  asleep.  I  must 


18<U]  136 

have  slept  several  hours.  When  I  awoke  all  the  troops  had  passed 
and  the  ammunition  train  was  then  passing. 

Hailing  a  driver  that  I  was  acquainted  with,  he  took  me  on  his 
wagon.  That  night  I  took  a  heavy  dose  of  quinine,  which  broke 
up  the  fever,  but  I  felt  miserable  for  several  days.  I  got  my  things 
carried,  so  got  along  very  well.  One  night,  as  we  were  going  into 
camp,  Gen.  Veatch,  who  now  commanded  the  4th  division,  10th 
army  corps,  passed  us  with  his  command.  The  regiments  fell  in 
line  and  lustily  cheered  their  old  commander.  He  seemed  very 
much  affected  at  this  mark  of  our  esteem.  The  army  arrived  at 
Meridian  about  the  17th.  When  within  twenty  miles  of  there,  our 
provision  train  was  left  back  and  a  strong  guard  with  it,  also  the 
sick,  myself  among  the  number.  Rollin,  who  had  a  felon  on  his 
hand,  also  remained.  Left  to  our  own  resources,  we  did  just  about 
as  we  had  a  mind  to.  Rollin  or  I  went  out  foraging  nearly  every 
day,  but  usually  Rollin  went,  as  he  always  had  better  success  than 
I  did.  We  always  went  with  a  forage  train  and  thus  enjoyed  the 
protection  of  the  guard.  Roll  seldom  came  in  empty.  A  porker, 
some  chickens,  sweet  potatoes,  always  came  within  his  grasp.  We 
drew  plenty  of  hard  bread  from  the  provision  wagons  near  by, 
charging  the  same  to  Uncle  Sam,  and  for  shelter  and  covering,  we 
appropriated  the  chaplain's  blankets  to  our  use.  So,  all  things 
considered,  we  were  faring  remarkably  well — a  great  deal  better 
than  many  of  the  others.  The  17th  New  York,  for  instance.  This 
regiment  was  composed  of  Wilson's  old  zouaves  and  roughs  from 
New  York  City,  and  they  were  a  rough  set.  Their  officers  claimed 
that  in  order  to  keep  them  in  subjection,  they  had  to  use  harsh 
measures.  I  never  before  saw  men  tyrannized  over  as  they  were. 
In  the  first  place,  they  started  out  with  heavy  knapsacks  and  half 
rations. 

After  marching  hard,  the  Colonel,  before  he  would  allow  them 
to  sit  down  or  rest,  had  a  camp  guard  detailed  and  picket  also,  if 
required.  They  went  through  the  regular  formula  of  guard 
mounting  with  knapsacks  still  on.  The  Colonel  kept  a  guard 
walking  back  and  forth  before  his  tent,  with  his  load  still  on,  for 
two  hours.  The  poor  fellows  looked  completely  drilled  out,  but 
yet  there  was  not  a  better  fighting  regiment  in  the  whole  division 
than  the  17th  New  York.  When  we  arrived  in  camp,  if  any 
picket  duty  was  required  of  us,  the  detail  was  made  and  we  were 
allowed  to  break  ranks,  but  we  were  to  be  ready  to  fall  in  when 


137 

the  bugle  sounded.  The  17th  New  York  got  so  reduced  in  rations 
that  they  suffered  from  the  pangs  of  hunger.  They  were  left  back 
as  guard  to  the  wagon  train,  and  their  officers  would  not  permit 
them  to  forage.  They  would  come  around  our  wagon  and  pick 
up  the  mouldy,  hard  bread  and  devour  it  with  avidity.  On  one 
occasion  one  of  them  spied  a  goose  which  we  had  thrown  away. 
It  had  begun  to  smell  pretty  bad,  but  he  eagerly  seized  it  and  bore 
it  off  with  a  look  of  triumph.  In  the  meantime,  our  boys  had 
arrived  at  Meridian,  and  were  playing  havoc  with  the  enemy's 
lines  of  communication.  Meridian  was  a  central  place  for  rail- 
roads from  all  parts  of  the  South.  Each  division  was  assigned  a 
certain  portion  of  the  track  to  destroy,  which  they  effectually  did 
by  tearing  up  the  ties,  piling  them  on  the  rails  and  then  setting 
them  on  fire.  After  the  rails  were  red  hot,  thoy  would  twist  them 
around  the  trees,  utterly  unfitting  them  for  further  use.  In  this 
raid  our  army  destroyed  four  hundred  miles  of  railroad  and  burned 
over  twenty  engines  and  a  large  number  of  cars.  They  set  fire  to 
Meridian,  and  Gen.  Sherman  had  his  headquarters  burned  over 
him.  He  said  that  he  thought  that  the  boys  might  have  waited 
until  he  got  out  before  burning  his  quarters.  A  remarkable  in- 
stance of  revenge  was  perpetrated  here.  In  Sherman's  first  dis- 
astrous fight  at  Vicksburg,  a  federal  soldier  was  taken  prisoner. 
His  guard  stopped  at  a  residence  here  for  food  and  refreshments. 
The  woman  of  the  house,  after  heaping  all  manner  of  insults  upon 
the  prisoner,  finally  spit  in  his  face.  It  happened  that  the  soldier 
soon  after  made  his  escape  and  rejoined  the  army.  After  arriving 
at  Meridian,  he  proceeded  to  the  house  where  he  had  been  insulted, 
piled  up  the  furniture,  and  told  the  woman  that  if  she  did  not 
want  to  burn  up  in  her  own  house,  she  would  have  to  leave,  at  the 
same  time  reminding  her  of  the  insult  she  had  given  him.  She 
implored,  but  to  no  purpose.  Her  house  and  furniture  were 
burned.  Thus  may  it  be  with  all  who  descend  from  their  high 
pedestal  of  womanhood  and  disgrace  themselves  by  spitting  upon 
helpless  prisoners. 

February  20th. 

One  day  the  Quartermaster  came  in  and  said  that  the  army  had 
started,  and  that  he  had  orders  to  break  up  camp  and  move  also. 
He  went  as  far  as  Hillsboro  and  then  waited  one  day  for  the 
arrival  of  the  command.  The  boys  had  their  faces  set  homeward 

and    they   made   quick  time.     We  had  only  ten  days'  rations  on 
9 


1864]  138 

hand  now,  but  a  dispatch  had  been  sent  through  for  a  provision 
train  to  come  out  and  meet  us.  Forage  was  not  so  plentiful  now  as 
on  our  out  trip,  but  a  few  days  after  we  left  Hillsboro,  we  took  a 
new  road  and  we  found  forage  in  abundance.  Large  parties  were 
sent  out  daily.  Oft-times  they  were  attacked  and  forced  to  come 
in  empty.  I  believe  that  Col.  Rogers  made  the  largest  haul  of 
any.  He  was  not  easily  scared  out  and  his  team  usually  came  in 
loaded  down.  Sherman's  army  left  fire  and  famine  in  its  track. 
The  country  was  one  lurid  blaze  of  fire;  burning  cotton  gins  and 
deserted  dwellings  were  seen  on  every  hand.  I  regret  to  say  it, 
but  oft-times  habitations  were  burned  down  over  the  heads  of  occu- 
pants, but  not  by  orders.  Those  gangs  of  ruffians,  who  always 
follow  in  the  wake  of  armies,  to  pillage  and  destroy,  seemed  on 
the  march  to  give  loose  reins  to  their  passions.  I  have  seen  the 
cabin  of  the  poor  entered  and  the  last  mouthful  taken  from  almost 
starving  children.  No  one,  who  has  a  heart  that  beats  in  sympathy 
for  the  sorrows  of  others,  can  look  on  these  things  without  the 
strongest  feelings  of  compassion  for  the  victims.  The  wretches 
who  caused  this  suffering  were  brought  to  punishment  as  often 
us  caught,  but  the  most  vigorous  measures  could  not  always 
stop  it. 

February  26th. 

We  crossed  Pearl  River  thirty  miles  above  Jackson.  We  halted 
here  for  a  few  days.  After  everything  had  crossed,  our  company 
was  detailed  to  go  back  on  the  other  side  to  do  picket  duty.  This 
was  a  dangerous  business,  as  hordes  of  rebel  cavalry  were  prowl- 
ing about,  looking  for  a  chance  to  pounce  upon  some  detachment. 
Two  of  our  boys  went  out  a  few  rods  from  the  post  and  narrowly 
escaped  being  captured.  They  were  fired  at  but  were  not  hit. 
Some  boys  were  captured  in  sight  of  camp.  A  party  of  twelve  or 
fifteen  went  out  foraging,  one  day,  from  the  15th,  and  they  were 
all  captured  but  two.  Gen.  Sherman  had  now  opened  communica- 
tion with  the  outside  world  and  the  whole  country  was  electrified 
at  the  brilliancy  of  his  exploits.  The  great  apprehension  that 
existed,  as  regarded  the  safety  of  his  army,  was  removed  by  its 
returning  with  victory  on  its  banners.  We  now  moved  to  Canton 
and  camped  again  for  a  few  days.  Canton  is  twenty-five  miles 
above  Jackson,  on  Pearl  River,  and  forty-five  miles  from  Vicks- 
burg.  It  is  surrounded  by  a  splendid  country.  Its  thrift  is  more 
of  the  Northern  style  than  any  city  I  had  yet  seen  in  the  South. 


130  [1864 

Taking  it  all  in  all,  the  country  through  which  we  passed,  on  this 
march,  was  fertile,  well  watered  and  timbered,  and  remarkably 
level.  We  captured  fifteen  engines  and  a  large  number  of  cars  at 
Canton,  all  of  which  were  burned.  The  rebels  now  began  to  be 
pretty  saucy.  They  came  up  in  full  view  and  threatened  to  attack 
us,  but,  when  any  force  was  sent  out  after  them,  they  were  sure 
to  keep  out  of  harm's  way.  Their  object  was  not  so  much  to  attack 
us  as  it  wis  to  annoy  us,  but  they  failed  entirely. 

February  27th. 

We  took  our  own  time  and  were  neither  hurried  nor  delayed  by 
the  maneuvering.  When  we  left  Canton,  they  hung  on  our  track 
like  blood-leeches.  Oft-times  we  would  have  to  turn  around  and 
fight  them.  One  afternoon,  after  we  had  all  gotten  into  camp,  the 
rascals  drew  up  in  line  and  showed  themselves.  This  touched  the 
pride  of  our  cavalry  and  they  formed  and  charged  them  with  drawn 
sabres.  The  rebs  stood  their  ground  for  awhile,  but,  before  our 
force  got  to  them,  they  broke  and  ran  in  confusion. 

We  had  planted  artillery  so  as  to  rake  their  flank  and  help  them 
along  in  their  flight. 

February  29th. 

The  next  day  our  regiment  was  rear  guard.  The  rebs  still  kept 
in  sight,  fighting  our  cavalry  all  the  time.  We  were  where  we 
could  see  the  whole  performance.  The  only  effect  these  attacks  of 
the  enemy  had  on  us  was  to  keep  our  men  from  straggling. 
Towards  night  they  began  to  lag  and  finally  ceased  to  annoy  us 
at  all. 

This  gave  the  rebs  a  chance  to  give  a  great  puff  in  their  papers 
that  their  troops  had  utterly  routed  Sherman  and  driven  him  back 
across  Black  River. 

March  3d. 

We  arrived  back  in  our  old  camp  March  3d.  On  this  our  last 
<lay's  march  of  the  campaign,  we  started  at  six  o'clock  in  the 
morning  and  at  eleven  A.  M.  we  were  in  camp,  having  marched 
twenty  miles,  or  rather  ran.  It  could  scarcely  be  called  marching. 
So  eager  did  we  become  to  get  back  to  camp.  Our  brigade  was 
in  the  lead  and  perhaps  we  were  a  little  vain  of  our  marching  and 
wished  to  exult  over  the  rest  of  the  command.  We  left  them  far 
in  the  rear  and  it  was  not  until  five  o'clock  p.  M.  that  the  rear 
regiments  arrived.  Our  first  thought  after  arriving  was  to  secure 
our  mail.  I  found  a  goodly  number  of  letters  awaiting  me.  My 


1864]  UO 

readers  may  rest  assured  that  their  contents  were  eagerly 
devoured.  My  next  move  was  to  dotf  my  travel -stained  attire 
and  substitute  a  clean  suit  from  my  knapsack.  We  had  made  this 
march  without  a  change  of  clothing.  We  left  our  knapsacks  in 
our  tents.  It  made  us  feel  almost  like  new  men  to  once  more  be 
clothed  in  a  clean  and  wholesome  suit.  Looking  |  back  as  we  now 
did  upon  our  campaign  as  one  of  the  most  remarkable  of  the  war 
in  its  boldness  of  conception  and  brilliancy  of  execution,  fraught 
with  such  happy  results,  the  large  extent  of  [country  traversed, 
giving  a  deeper  insight  into  the  interior  of  the  rebellion,  the  en- 
joyment of  the  thrilling  events  which  daily  transpired  and  the 
good  feeling  and  enjoyment  which  generally  prevailed,  we  could 
not  regret  our  trip,  but  were  proud  of  it.  It  added  one  more 
wreath  of  fame  to  our  already  glittering  array  of  achievements 
and  by  generations  yet  unborn  will  the  story  of  this  march  be 
read. 

March  Sth. 

Active  preparations  were  now  made  to  furlough  the  veterans, 
and  many  a  weather-beaten,  war-worn  cheek  lighted  up  with  a 
smile  of  joy  at  the  prospect  of  once  more  beholding  home  and 
friends.  On  the  10th  of  March,  those  of  us  who  had  not  been 
sworn  in  our  new  term  of  service,  duly  took  the  required  oath  and 
received  our  discharge  from  first  term  of  service,  dating  back  to 
time  of  re -enlistment.  The  non-veterans  took  a  deep  interest  in 
these  proceedings. 

No  less  patriotic  than  the  veterans,  home  ties  had  a  stronger 
claim  on  them.  For  three  years  they  had  served  their  country 
faithfully  and  well.  There  were  thousands  yet  at  the  North  whose 
duty  it  was  to  enlist  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  we  thought  it  was 
their  turn  now.  On  the  16th  of  March,  we  bade  adieu  to  com- 
rades, marched  to  Vicksburg  and  embarked  on  beard  a  steamer 
for  St.  Louis  where  we  were  to  be  paid  off.  On  arriving  at  St. 
Louis  a  grand  ovation  was  given  us. 

March  20th. 

A  deputation  of  the  citizens  presented  each  soldier  with  a  badge 
of  welcome.  We  were  then  marched  to  a  capacious  hall  where  a 
bountiful  feast  had  been  prepared  for  us.  After  dinner,  we  all 
adjourned  to  the  saloon  where  all  who  chose  were  treated  to  beer. 
While  we  remained  in  St.  Louis,  every  attention  was  shown  us. 
It  was  not  until  the  second  day  of  our  arrival  that  we  were  paid 


141  [1864 

off.  During  the  interval,  we  were  allowed  our  liberty  and  took 
this  occasion  to  see  the  sights  of  the  city.  I  attended  the  theatre 
both  evenings.  We  were  paid  on  the  22d.  We  received  our  pay 
in  full  on  our  first  installment  and  one  installment  of  bounty  on 
our  second  term  and  one  month's  pay  in  advance.  I  received  two 
hundred  and  eighty-seven  dollars. 

March  24th. 

We  took  the  steamer  for  Alton  that  evening,  where  we  disem- 
barked and  took  the  cars  for  Chicago,  arriving  there  the  next 
evening.  A  telegram  had  been  sent  apprising  the  authorities  of 
our  approach  and  we  found  a  warm  supper  awaiting  us  at  the 
Soldier's  Rest,  prepared  by  the  good  ladies  of  Chicago.  We  re- 
ceived our  furloughs  here  and  each  took  his  own  way  homeward. 
At  the  expiration  of  our  furloughs,  we  were  all  to  rendezvous  at 
Freeport  preparatory  to  returning. 

March  26th. 

At  seven  o'clock  on  the  evening  of  the  26th,  we  arrived  at 
Marengo.  Roll,  Milt  and  I  found  a  load  of  Riley  friends  waiting 
for  us  and  a  jolly  load  of  us  were  soon  on  our  way  home. 

March  31st. 

We  will  pass  briefly  over  the  time  spent  at  home.  Suffice  it 
to  say  that  time  passed  on  swift  wings  and  each  moment  was  laden 
with  joy. 

April  24th. 

All  too  soon  the  time  passed  and  our  time  came  to  go.  Our 
farewells  were  spoken  and  we  started  for  Freeport.  On  arriving 
there,  we  found  that  the  regiment  would  not  leave  until  Monday, 
So  we  got  permission  to  spend  the  time  at  home.  Of  course,  our 
folks  were  surprised  to  see  us  back  again  so  soon.  We  had  a 
party  at  Aaron  Sears  Friday  evening,  and  we  made  ourselves  merry 
until  morning.  We  left  Freeport  Monday  morning.  Just  before 
starting,  we  were  drawn  up  before  the  Brewster  House  to  listen  to 
a  farewell  speech  from  our  old  Colonel,  Thos.  J.  Turner.  He 
spoke  with  considerable  feeling.  In  behalf  of  the  regiment,  Col. 
Rogers  briefly  responded.  Col.  Turner  then  treated  all  who 
wished  to  a  gla&s  of  beer.  He  then  shook  hands  with  each  one 
of  us. 

April  30th. 

We  then  got  on  board  the  cars  and  were  soon  rapidly  whirling 
toward  Dixie.  The  next  day  we  arrived  at  Cairo  where  we  found 


1864]  142 

that  a  regiment  of  non-veterans  had  been  there,  but  had  left  a  few 
days  before  and  had  gone  up  the  Tennessee  river  to  Clifton  where 
we  expected  to  join  them  and  then  march  through  the  States  of 
Tennessee,  Alabama  and  Mississippi  and  join  Sherman's  army  in 
Georgia.  We  stopped  but  a  few  days  in  Cairo  and  then  set  out 
to  join  our  comrades. 

May  5th. 

We  went  up  as  far  as  Paducah  and  then  waited  for  the  rest  of 
the  fleet  to  come  up.  We  arrived  at  Clifton  on  the  6th  of  May. 
The  boys  had  left  the  week  before.  They  drove  a  large  herd  of 
beef  cattle  through  to  Huntsville,  Alabama.  We  camped  here 
four  or  five  days.  The  scenery  on  the  Tennessee  rirer  at  this  time 
of  the  year  is  very  beautiful.  The  shores  were  lined  with  splendid 
groves  and  woodlands,  with  scenery  unsurpassed  in  beauty.  Now 
they  were  dressed  in  the  most  gorgeous  attire  of  spring.  Our 
command  was  composed  of  detachments  of  the  17th  army  corps, 
numbering  eight  or  ten  thousand,  commanded  by  Brig-Gen. 
Leggett,  of  Ohio.  On  the  9th  of  May,  we  resumed  our  march, 
our  first  point  of  destination  being  Pulaski,  in  Tennessee,  on  the 
Coosa  river. 

May  10th. 

We  drove  through  a  large  drove  of  beef  cattle.  We  had  con- 
siderable sport.  There  were  numerous  rivers  to  cross  and  some 
of  the  boys  who  could  not  bear  the  thought  of  stripping  and  wad- 
ing would  mount  a  young  steer,  but  the  wild  and  frightened 
animal  would  generally  land  them  on  all  fours  in  the  river.  It 
was  amusing  to  see  us  crossing  these  rivers.  My  readers  may 
imagine  several  thousand  men,  stripped  naked,  their  clothes 
wadded  up  in  a  bundle  and  held  high  over  their  heads,  wading  the 
Elkhorn  river.  At  times  the  water  would  be  too  deep  for  the 
short  ones  to  wade.  They  would  stretch  and  walk  on  their  tip- 
toes to  keep  their  heads  out  of  water.  The  current  being  too  swift 
for  some,  they  would  be  submerged.  Those  who  had  crossed 
would  stand  on  the  bank  and  laugh  at  the  others'  mishaps.  Two 
darkies  were  drowned  and  some  of  the  boys  made  sport  of  the 
occurrence. 

A  tragical  occurrence  happened  in  an  Iowa  regiment  the  morn- 
ing we  started.  Two  soldiers  got  into  an  altercation  about  a  cer- 
tain young  lady  to  whom  both  were  paying  their  addresses.  The 
foolish  men  agreed  to  settle  the  matter,  privately,  by  fighting  a 


143 

duel  with  their  rifles.  At  the  first  fire  both  fell  dead.  Young 
misses,  let  this  be  a  warning  to  you  to  never  have  more  than  one 
sweetheart.  On  arriving  at  Pulaski  we  found  that  the  boys  had 
been  gone  several  days.  We  came  up  with  the  rest  ot  the  com- 
mand at  Huntsville,  Alabama.  We  found  the  boys  well,  but  terri- 
bly chafed  in  spirit,  but  that  did  not  prevent  them  from  extending 
to  us  a  cordial  welcome.  The  non-veterans  had  been  shamefully 
misused.  It  seemed  as  though  some  of  the  officers  wanted  to  vent 
their  spite  on  them  because  they  would  not  re-enlist.  The  idea  of 
marching  them  two  hundred  miles  just  as  their  term  of  service  was 
about  to  expire,  when  it  was  of  no  earthly  use,  was  an  outrageous 
one.  They  were  treated  more  like  dogs  than  like  patriot  soldiers, 
which  they  were;  and,  finally,  to  cap  the  climax,  on  the  very  day 
that  their  term  expired,  they  were  ordered  to  drive  a  drove  of  cat- 
tle through  to  Chattanooga,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and  fifty 
miles.  This  was  more  than  they  could  bear,  and,  in  their  just  indig- 
nation, they  revolted.  They  had  the  sympathy  of  all  the  veterans, 
and  the  officers  found  that  they  could  not  stem  the  tide  of  wrath 
which  was  setting  against  them  and  the  order  was  rescinded.  The 
procuring  of  this  order  was  attributed  to  Colonels  Hall  and  Rogers, 
who  represented  to  headquarters  that  the  boys  were  willing  to  go. 
After  Gen.  Crocker  found  out  the  facts  of  the  case,  he  declared 
that  the  boys  should  not  go. 

May  24th. 

While  these  things  were  transpiring,  the  veterans  received  ord- 
ers to  march,  but  I  cannot  leave  Huntsville  without  telling  my 
readers  what  a  beautiful  city  it  is.  It  seemed  like  a  paradise  situ- 
ated in  a  wild  country.  Its  cottages  were  neat  and  tasty  and  closely 
entwined  with  ivy.  The  streets  were  deeply  shaded,  making  it  a 
nice,  secluded  spot.  In  one  edge  of  the  village  was  one  of  the 
largest  springs  of  pure  water  in  the  United  States.  It  gushed  from 
the  foot  of  a  rock  one  hundred  feet  high.  A  deep  basin  formed  a 
reservoir.  A  stream  of  considerable  magnitude  ran  from  this 
spring  and  it  furnished  water  for  the  whole  city.  The  morning 
we  were  ordered  to  march,  the  regiment  was  consolidated  into  three 
companies,  A,  F,  I  and  J  forming  one,  called  Company  A;  B  and 
G  forming  another  called  Company  B;  K,  H,  C  and  D  forming 
the  other,  called  Company  C.  This  last  order  took  us  by  surprise- 
We  were  dumfounded,  indignant.  It  was  the  deepest  wrong 
that  had  yet  been  done  us.  It  was  utterly  violating  their  faith. 


144 

We  re-enlisted  with  the  understanding  that  we  were  to  retain  our 
company  organization  and  have  the  privilege  of  electing  our  own 
officers,  and  now,  in  a  most  arbitrary  manner,  they  had  taken  both 
of  these  rights  from  us.  After  voluntarily  re-consecrating  ourselves 
to  our  country  for  another  term  of  three  years,  it  was  a  small  favor 
to  ask  to  be  permitted  to  retain  our  organization  and  elect  our 
officers,  but  small  as  it  was,  it  was  refused  us.  Officers  were  forced 
upon  us  who  were  obnoxious  to  us.  Those  officers  who  had  our 
welfare  at  heart,  and  whom  we  would  have  liked  to  have  stay 
with  us,  had  the  magnanimity  to  leave.  Not  one  of  Company  D's 
officers  remained.  While  we  were  indignant  at  the  wrongs  done 
us,  the  non-veterans  were  having  their  trials  and,  while  the  cloud 
was  over  us,  we  parted.  Nothing  could  dispel  the  sadness  we  felt 
as  we  parted  never  more  to  meet  as  comrades  in  arms  on  the 
tented  field. 

Having  shared  alike  a  common  danger,  linked  together  by  the 
strongest  ties  of  friendship,  it  seemed  like  severing  the  strong  ties 
of  our  being  to  part  with  these,  our  old  comrades,  but  the  last 
lingering  pressure  of  the  hand  was  given  and  each  party  started 
off  in  the  path  marked  out  for  them,  one  leading  to  freedom  from 
war  and  bloodshed  and  the  weary  bivouac  to  the  quiet  home  circle, 
surrounded  by  the  dearest  earthly  friends,  whose  hearts  would  be 
made  glad  by  their  safe  return;  the  other  leading  to  the  dim,  un- 
certain future  of  civil  strife,  to  face  again  the  whizzing  bullets  and 
flying  shells,  to  plod  along  through  storm  and  sunshine,  through 
summer's  heat  and  winter's  cold,  with  the  earth  for  our  bed  and 
the  broad  canopy  of  heaven  our  covering,  but  yet,  in  the  distance 
was  a  bright  star  of  hope  which  beckoned  us  on, — a  hope  which 
o'ermastered  fatigue,  hunger,  sickness  and  want,  which  will  not 
meet  its  full  fruition  until  dove-winged  peace  again  broods  over 
all  our  country,  saved  and  regenerated. 

May  26th. 

Our  first  point  of  destination  was  Decatur,  Alabama,  on  the 
Tennessee  river.  The  country  here  was  low  and  swampy.  On  the 
fourth  day  we  arrived  opposite  Decatur.  The  army  crossed  on 
pontoons  at  five  o'clock  p.  M.  and  marched  ten  miles  farther  that 
night.  The  country  on  the  Alabama  side  was  higher  and  more 
beautiful  than  on  the  Tennessee  side.  Our  cavalry  had  a  fight  with 
the  rebel  caralry.  Gen.  Rosecrans  started  on  his  famous  raid 
through  the  States  of  Mississippi,  Alabama  and  Georgia.  The 


145  [1864 

CumberJand  railroad  bridge  crossed  the  Tennessee   river  at  this 
point. 

May  30th. 

We  now  began  to  come  to  a  more  mountainous  region  and  our 
marching  became  more  difficult.  The  farther  we  advanced,  the 
more  rough  did  it  become.  The  road  wound  around  in  the  valleys. 
On  either  side  of  us  loomed  up  high,  craggy  cliffs,  with  ragged 
edges  of  stone  and  sparsely  covered  with  dwarf  pines.  Amongst 
those  ragged  cliffs,  the  enemy's  scouts,  secure  from  all  danger,  sat 
and  watched  us,  closely  calculated  our  strength  and  the  number  of 
wagons  in  our  train.  This  I  got  from  their  own  lips  afterwards. 

The  country  was  very  thinly  settled.  The  inhabitants  generally 
were  poor,  but  a  strong  Union  sentiment  prevailed  among  these 
sturdy  mountaineers  and  many  had  to  leave  their  homes  and 
families  and  flee  to  the  mountains  to  escape  from  their  merciless 
foes.  They  were  hunted  like  wild  beasts.  The  valleys  abounded 
in  large  springs  of  the  purest  kind  of  water.  Often  we  found  deep 
caverns.  We  were  now  approaching  a  range  of  the  Cumberland 
mountains  which  we  would  have  to  cross.  It  was  a  stupendous 
undertaking  with  our  immense  train.  The  road  was  very  stony 
and  often  wound  around  the  mountain  where  the ,  least  mischance 
or  misstep  would  have  precipitated  us  thousands  of  feet  below. 
Several  teams  went  over  these  precipices  and  were  seen  no  more. 

June  10th. 

There  were  scarcely  two  hours  in  the  day  but  what  troops  were 
on  the  move.  The  rear  never  got  into  camp  until  past  midnight, 
and  then  they  would  take  the  lead  the  next  day  and  march  before 
daylight.  I  remember  distinctly  on  one  occasion  when  the  15th 
was  rear  guard.  It  was  two  o'clock  A.  M.  before  we  got  into  camp 
and  the  wagon  that  carried  our  knapsacks  got  lost  and  did  not 
come  up  until  an  hour  later.  Then  we  found  the  knapsacks  scat- 
tered all  over.  Some  of  the  boys  never  found  theirs.  We  camped 
one  and  one-half  miles  from  water,  so  it  was  out  of  ^the  question  to 
make  coffee  that  night.  We  lay  down  in  our  wet  garments  in  a 
rain-storm,  to  get  a  few  minutes'  rest  before  resuming .  the  march. 
At  five  o'clock  A.  M.  we  were  again  on  the  move,  being  minus 
coffee  for  breakfast.  After  this,  when  our  regiment  was  rear 
guard,  when  night  came,  some  of  the  boys  would  go  ahead  several 
miles,  lie  down  and  take  a  nap  before  the  regiment  came  up,  and 
as  we  moved  very  slowly,  they  sometimes  slept  several  hours. 


1864]  U6 

When  the  regiment  came  up,  they  would  fall  in  and  someone  else 
would  go  ahead,  but  we  were  always  careful  not  to  go  beyond  our 
camping  ground.  On  one  occasion,  some  of  the  mess,  including 
Charlie,  Roll  and  Sime  Smith  stopped  and  lay  down  in  the  exact 
spot  where  our  regiment  camped  and  they  were  in  the  right  spot 
for  our  company.  Our  mess  used  the  camp  fire  they  built  to  cook 
our  supper  by.  Scarcely  a  day  passed  but  we  lost  at  least  a  score 
of  mules.  If  there  had  not  been  a  drove  of  extra  ones  along,  a 
portion  of  the  train  would  had  to  have  been  abandoned. 

June  loth. 

About  the  15th,  we  arrived  at  Rome,  Georgia,  and  were  once 
more  in  communication  with  the  main  army  which  was  thirty  miles 
distant.  We  continued  our  march  in  the  track  of  Sherman's 
army  until  we  arrived  at  Allatoona  Pass.  Our  brigade — second 
— was  left  here  to  garrison  this  important  post.  Sherman's  army 
was  now  before  Kennesaw  mountain  which  loomed  grandly  up  in 
the  distance,  eighteen  miles. 

The  rebel  army  was  stationed  on  and  around  the  mountain. 
This  was  one  of  the  strongest  positions  that  Mother  Nature  ever 
formed,  and  held  as  it  was  by  a  veteran  army,  commanded  by  one 
of  the  ablest  Generals  that  the  rebels  had,  it  seemed  an  impossi- 
bility for  our  brave  army  to  gain  possession  of  it,  but  with 
undaunted  courage  and  perseverance,  seldom  equaled,  never 
excelled,  under  the  leadership  of  that  great  leader,  Sherman,  our 
army  went  resolutely  to  work  to  gain  the  rebel  stronghold  or  die 
in  the  attempt.  .We  camped  at  Allatoona  only  one  week,  when 
we  were  ordered  to  Etowah  Bridge  to  repel  an  anticipated  attack. 
We  put  the  place  in  a  state  of  defense  and  left  the  45th  Illinois 
there  as  a  garrison.  Then  we  were  ordered  back  to  the  Pass.  We 
took  up  a  different  position  this  time.  On  top  of  one  of  the 
highest  mountains,  we  fortified  ourselves.  The  whole  rebel  army 
could  not  have  driven  us  from  this  position.  From  here  we  had  a 
most  magnificent  view  of  the  surrounding  country.  To  the  north, 
east  and  west  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  mountain  upon  moun- 
tain rose  up  in  the  distance  like  huge  billows  cf  the  sea,  their 
cragged  peaks  piercing  the  very  clouds.  To  the  south,  Kennesaw 
stood  out  in  bold  relief  from  all  the  rest  like  a  pyramid  in  the 
desert. 

June  25th. 

The  cloud  of  curling  smoke  which  hung  around  the  mountain. 


147       .  [1861 

and  the  hoarse,  heavy  notes  of  the  artillery,  plainly  told  us  that  our 
boys  were  still  pushing  bravely  on,  despite  the  rebel  thunder  and 
the  fierce  storm  of  iron  hail  rained  down  upon  them.  It  was  the 
ambition  of  our  gallant  army  to  see  our  glorious  flag  floating  from 
the  highest  peak  of  Kennesaw,  where  the  rebel  rag  now  waved. 
No  artifice  was  left  untried,  no  opportunity  missed,  where  fighting 
would  avail,  but  what  our  boys  took  advantage  of  it  and  pushed 
forward  their  lines.  Slowly  but  surely  Sherman  was  weaving  a 
web  of  fate  which  would  place  the  rebel  army  in  his  power,  but  it 
was  at  a  fearful  sacrifice.  Charge  after  charge  was  made  on  the 
enemy's  works.  Close,  fierce  and  deadly  was  the  fighting.  The 
rebel  army  clung  to  this  as  their  last  hope.  If  they  could  not  hold 
Kennesaw,  they  felt  that  their  case  was  hopeless,  and  they  fought 
like  demons.  We  were  soon  summoned  from  our  dizzy  height  on 
Allatoona  mountain  to  repair  immediately  to  Etowah,  as  an  attack 
was  anticipated  on  the  railroad  bridge  at  that  place.  If  the  rebels 
had  succeeded  in  destroying  that,  they  would  have  inflicted  incal- 
culable damage  upon  us.  This  bridge  was  three  hundred  yards 
long  and  one  hundred  feet  high,  and  it  had  just  been  completed. 
In  seven  days  from  the  time  that  they  commenced  operations  on  the 
bridge,  a  train  of  cars  passed  over  it.  Such  was  the  dispatch  with 
which  Sherman's  engineers  did  their  work.  They  had  dimensions 
of  every  bridge  from  Chattanooga  to  Atlanta,  and  as  fast  as  the 
rebels  burned  them  and  fell  back,  we  would  advance  and  rebuild, 
and  the  cars  followed  close  in  Sherman's  wake.  It  was  our  duty 
to  guard  the  railroad  between  Cartersville,  one  mile  above  us,  and 
Allatoona  Pass. 

Jane  30th. 

At  first  we  patrolled  the  railroad,  but  that  got  to  be  too  danger- 
ous business.  Two  of  the  45th  Illinois  were  shot  dead  only  a 
few  nights  before  by  rebels  in  ambush,  waiting  for  them.  So  we 
adopted  the  plan  of  stationing  pickets  at  intervals  along  the  rail- 
road so  that  the  videttes  of  each  post  could  see  each  other.  We 
took  our  position  in  the  most  concealed  places  and  placed  our 
videttes  where  they  could  see  and  not  be  seen.  Then  all  night 
long  we  lay  on  our  arms,  scarcely  moving  and  never  speaking 
above  a  whisper  lest  it  might  betray  our  position.  Ever  and  anon, 
the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle  would  ring  out  on  the  midnight  air, 
which  would  cause  us  all  to  silently  grasp  our  pieces  and  await  the 
issue  of  events.  In  most  instances,  these  were  false  alarms. 


1864]  148 

Some  timid  sentinel  would  be  on  post,  and  his  imagination  would 
conceive  a  black  stump  or  a  bush  gently  waving  in  the  evening 
breeze  to  be  some  rebel  creeping  upon  him,  and  in  his  fright 
would  discharge  his  gun;  but  sometimes  the  danger  was  genuine, 
and  skulking  rebs  could  be  distinctly  heard,  but  they  were  very 
cautious  about  approaching  within  range  of  our  rifles.  Vigilant 
eyes  were  watching  for  them  from  every  picket,  but  in  spite  of 
our  utmost  caution,  they  did  once  in  a  while  succeed  in  tearing  up 
a  rail.  Besides  this  duty,  we  had  our  regular  picket  to  stand  on 
other  roads  and  by-paths.  We  built  us  comfortable  shanties  on 
the  bank  of  the  river,  and  despite  our  arduous  duties,  we  enjoyed 
ourselves.  The  country  abounded  in  whortleberries  and  notwith- 
standing the  danger  we  incurred,  we  would  go  outside  the  lines  to 
gather  them.  Some  of  our  mess,  No.  4,went  out  every  day  and  we 
kept  a  supply  constantly  on  hand,  besides  selling  a  good  many. 
Milton  would  make  berry  pies  and  puddings,  and  with  the  other 
luxuries  we  procured,  we  lived  pretty  well.  Three  of  our  mess  now 
left  us.  They  had  been  detailed  to  corps  headquarters.  Charlie 
Mitchell  and  Underwood  and  Tom  Smalldridge  by  name.  The 
welcome  news  now  came  that  our  army  held  possession  of 
Marietta  and  Kennesaw  Mountain.  By  a  sudden  flank  movement, 
Sherman  had  compelled  Johnson  to  evacuate  in  hot  haste.  An 
unfortunate  occurrence  now  happened  to  a  party  of  our  boys  out 
foraging.  They  were  surprised  by  a  party  of  rebs  and  three  were 
killed,  one  wounded  and  one  taken  prisoner.  One  David  Stokes 
of  Company  I  and  a  quartermaster  at  brigade  headquarters  were 
killed.  Jack  Gay  nor  of  Company  B  was  captured,  but  he 
happened  to  have  a  canteen  of  whisky  with  him  and  he  got  his 
guard  drunk  and  effected  hi?  escape.  Rollin,  Milton  and  myself 
went  out  foraging  one  day.  Four  or  five  miles  outside  our  lines 
we  came  to  a  deserted  plantation.  It  was  evident  from  the  appear- 
ance of  things  that  they  had  not  been  gone  long.  We  found  the 
garden  in  a  thriving  condition  and  we  helped  ourselves  to  all  the 
vegetables  that  we  wanted.  Amongst  other  things,  we  found 
raspberries.  I  also  found  a  lot  of  fresh  eggs  and  a  sack  of  flour. 
After  we  got  back,  we  cooked  some  of  the  flour  and  it  made  us  all 
sick.  It  operated  as  an  emetic  on  me.  Some  of  the  boys  were 
sick  several  days.  There  were  others  in  the  regiment  affected  the 
same  way.  The  flour  had  been  poisoned. 


July  1st. 

It  had  now  been  ascertained  that  some  of  the  citizens  who  had 
professed  Union  sentiments  had  been  engaged  in  plots  to  tear  up 
the  railroad,  attack  foraging  parties,  etc.,  and  an  order  was  issued 
to  banish  all  citizens  five  miles  outside  our  lines,  under  penalty 
of  having  their  houses  burned  if  not  complying  within  a  certain 
length  of  time.  Severe  as  this  order  may  seem,  the  circumstances 
justified  it 

July  4th. 

The  glorious  Fourth  now  dawned  upon  us  and  we  celebrated 
it  as  well  as  circumstances  would  permit.  At  the  front  it  was 
celebrated  by  the  firing  of  cannon  and  musketry  and  the  glittering 
of  cold  steel.  It  was  no  child's  play  there.  It  was  fitting  for 
them  on  this  hallowed  day  to  show  their  devotion  to  their  country 
by  fighting  traitors  in  arms  against  it.  After  leaving  Kennesaw, 
the  rebs  made  a  stand  at  Chattahoochee  River.  They  were  now 
driven  from  that  into  their  last  stronghold  around  Atlanta.  We 
were  always  within  hearing  of  the  fighting.  At  times  could  see 
the  smoke  of  battle.  A  regular  siege  was  now  commenced.  The 
rebels  confidently  hoped  that  they  could  bold  Atlanta,  the  Gate 
City  of  the  South.  In  truth,  it  did  seem  almost  impregnable,  so 
well  was  it  fortified.  We  now  received  marching  orders  and  we 
hoped  that  it  would  be  to  the  front.  We  were  heartily  tired  of 
guarding  communications  in  the  rear.  The  continual  harassing 
alarms  and  the  vigilant  watch  it  was  necessary  to  keep,  added  to 
the  enormous  duty  to  perform  was  worse  than  to  be  at  the  front 
where  we  knew  what  we  might  expect,  and  in  truth,  there  was  less 
danger  there  than  in  the  rear,  but  our  hopes  were  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment. We  halted  at  the  foot  of  Kennesaw  mountain  near 
Marietta  and  went  into  camp. 

July  8th. 

Again  the  annoying  and  fatiguing  duty  of  picketing  and  rail- 
road guarding  had  to  be  performed.  One  picket  post  was 
stationed  on  the  top  of  the  mountain.  We  stood  picket  two  days 
here  before  being  relieved.  Sometimes  Ave  would  'go  out  five  or 
six  miles.  It  was  blackberry  season  and  we  feasted  on  this 
delicious  fruit  to  our  heart's  content.  Marietta  in  time  of  peace 
was  a  model  city.  Its  dwelling  houses  were  so  closely  shaded  by 
vines  and  shade  trees  as  to  be  hardly  visible.  The  yards  and 
flower  gardens  were  nicely  laid  out,  the  sidewalks  nicely  paved 


1864]  150 

and  shaded  and  everything  bespoke  comfort  and  elegance.  The 
business  part  of  the  town  was  nearly  destroyed.  A  military 
college  was  situated  here  and  Gen.  Sherman  was  at  one  time 
teacher  in  it  and  some  of  the  Generals  in  the  rebel  army  now 
fighting  him  were  once  his  pupils  at  this  institute.  I  suppose  that 
he  little  thought  then  that  he  was  training  the  hand  that  would  be 
raised  against  this  country  and  himself,  yet,  so  it  was.  Marietta 
was  once  a  city  of  several  thousand  inhabitants  and  liquor  was  not 
permitted  to  be  sold  within  its  limits  unless  on  a  doctor's  prescrip- 
tion. I  suppose  this  was  mainly  to  keep  temptation  away  from 
the  students  attending  military  college. 

July  10th. 

There  was  to  us  one  important  event  that  happened  that  I  have 
omitted  to  note  and  that  was  the  consolidation  of  the  14th  and 
15th  Illinois  Volunteers  into  one  battalion  to  be  known  as  the  14th 
and  15th  Veteran  Battalion  of  Volunteer  Infantry.  This  was  done 
by  order  of  Gen.  McPherson  in  pursuance  of  instructions  from  the 
War  Department.  This  did  not  take  us  by  surprise  for  we  had 
long  expected  it,  and  since  it  had  become  known  that  such  a  con- 
solidation must  take  place,  we  were  desirous  that  it  should  be 
with  our  brothers,  the  14th.  The  whole  battalion  numbered  only 
six  hundred  men,  with  six  companies,  three  to  each  regiment. 
This  organization  took  effect  July  1st.  I  will  now  give  a  passing 
notice  to  Kennesaw  mountain.  It  is  situated  one-half  mile  south- 
west of  Marietta.  From  its  base  on  the  east  to  the  top  is  a  gradual 
ascent  at  an  angle  of  about  seventy-five  degrees.  On  the  north 
and  south  its  sides  are  steep,  almost  perpendicular.  To  the  west 
it  gradually  slopes  until  it  reaches  Little  Kennesaw  which  extends 
some  distance  to  the  west. 

We  had  a  single  corps  stationed  on  top  of  Big  Kennesaw,  from 
which  place  we  had  a  magnificent  view  of  the  surrounding  country. 
Away  to  the  north,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  mountains  lifted 
up  their  heads  against  the  sky,  looking  like  ragged  clouds  pressing 
against  the  edge  of  the  horizon.  Down  below  us  to  northeast, 
Pine  Mountain  looked  like  a  small  knoll.  To  the  northwest,  to- 
ward Dallas,  was  Lost  Mountain,  so  named  from  its  isolated  posi- 
tion. Then  sweeping  the  horizon  to  the  west,  one  interminable 
range  of  mountains  meets  your  vision.  Continuing  on  to  the 
south,  the  spires  and  steeples  of  the  '  'Gate  City  of  the  South, ' ' 
Atlanta,  meet  your  view,  and  as  we  looked  we  saw  clouds  of  dust 


151  [1864 

rising,  caused  by  troops  moving  to  the  left.  We  afterwards 
ascertained  this  to  be  the  army  of  the  Tennessee,  making  a  flank 
movement.  The  country  toward  Atlanta  appeared  to  be  more 
level,  but  away  to  the  southeast,  full  fifty  miles  distant,  Stone 
Mountain  rises  like  a  high  pyramid  on  a  level  plain.  There  were 
some  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  Marietta  who  had  never  been  on 
top  of  Kennesaw  Mountain.  One  day,  while  some  of  the  boys 
were  wandering  about  Little  Kennesaw,  they  came  across  a  large 
number  of  rebel  and  federal  dead,  which  were  yet  unburied. 
From  their  position,  it  seemed  that  our  men  had  made  a  charge 
and  a  fierce  hand-to-hand  fight  had  ensued. 

The  consolidation  of  the  regiment  had  left  a  large  surplus  of 
non-commissioned  officers,  hence  it  was  necessary  to  dispose  of  them 
in  some  way.  It  was  given  out  that  the  excess  was  to  be  mustered 
out,  and  there  were  plenty  who  were  willing  to  accept  the  sacrifice. 
In  our  Company  C,there  were  fourteen  corporals  and  eight  sergeants. 
Six  corporals  and  two  sergeants  had  to  be  reduced.  In  the  old 
organization  I  was  first  corporal.  In  the  new  I  was  second  and 
Rollin  fourth.  Charlie  Underwood  was  reduced.  I  was  now 
offered  a  detail  at  headquarters  as  corporal  of  the  guard,  but  de- 
clined to  accept  it,  and  got  another  person  to  go  in  my  place. 
Had  I  known  then  what  transpired  three  months  hence,  1  should 
never  have  had  the  pleasure  of  a  peep  into  Andersonville  prison 
den. 

July  31st. 

The  bloody  battle  of  Peach  Tree  Creek,  before  Atlanta,  was 
fought  on  the  21st  and  22d  of  July.  In  that  battle  the  country 
mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  illustrious  defenders,  the  brave 
and  noble  McPherson.  When  his  death  became  known  to  the 
army  that  he  had  commanded,  many  brave  and  war-worn  heroes 
wept  like  children.  We  loved  him  with  a  strong,  deep  love,  a 
lore  which  was  born  of  his  kindness  to  us  and  the  bravery  that  he 
displayed  on  the  field.  Ohio  might  well  be  proud  of  him.  It  is  said 
that  Gen.  Grant  wept  when  he  heard  of  his  death.  The  skill  and 
discipline  that  he  had  infused  into  his  army  was  conspicuously 
displayed  in  this  fight.  Assailed  by  the  whole  rebel  army,  at- 
tacked in  front,  flank  and  rear,  they  bravely  stood  their  ground, 
and  would  have  fought  to  the  last,  rather  than  have  yielded.  Over 
one-fourth  of  their  number  fell  on  that  bloody  field.  The  de- 
feated and  discomfited  rebels  received  a  blow  from  which  they 


1864]  152 

never  recovered.     The  next  day  McPherson's  body  passed  through 
Marietta  on  its  way  to  his  home  in  Ohio. 

August  10th. 

We  began  to  be  very  much  annoyed  now  by  scouting  parties  of 
rebel  cavalry  who  would  attack  our  forage  trains  and  make  raids 
upon  the  railroads. 

We  were  constantly  kept  on  the  move  chasing  them.  Finally 
we  were  ordered  to  Ackworth,  a  small  village  fourteen  miles  from 
Marietta,  for  scouting  and  picket  duty.  We  took  three  days' 
rations.  After  scouring  the  country  awhile  we  returned,  but  had 
not  been  in  camp  twenty -four  hours  before  we  were  ordered  to 
return,  prepared  to  stay  a  week  or  so.  No  sooner  had  we  left 
before,  than  a  band  of  rebel  cavalry  made  a  dash  at  the  place  and 
tore  up  some  of  the  railroad  track.  We  went  back  and  took  up 
our  quarters  in  some  of  the  vacant  houses  and  established  our 
picket  line.  One  day  a  Union  citizen  came  in  and  reported  a  large 
force  of  the  enemy  out  about  twenty-five  miles. 

August  25th. 

Word  was  sent  to  Marietta,  and  Col.  Logan,  with  the  32d  Illi- 
nois, and  Col.  Rogers,  with  his  command,  started  out.  They  were 
to  form  a  junction,  about  twenty  miles  out,  and  attempt  to  sur- 
prise and  capture  the  enemy,  but,  in  an  enemy's  country,  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  do  it.  They  got  word  of  our  approach  and 
hastily  decamped.  The  forces  joined  about  midnight.  We  had 
marched  twenty  miles  since  sundown  without  rest.  We  now 
started  back  for  Marietta.  We  never  took  any  blankets  on  these 
forced  marches  except  one  rubber  blanket  to  a  man.  We  arrived  at 
Marietta  the  next  day  about  five  o'clock  p.  M.,  having  traveled 
fifty  miles,  without  rest,  through  the  scorching  rays  of  an  August 
sun.  We  were  completely  fagged  out,  but  congratulated  ourselves 
now  on  the  prospect  of  having  a  good  supper  and  a  night's  rest, 
but  hardly  was  our  supper  dispatched  before  an  order  came  for  us 
to  get  ready  to  march  immediately,  in  light  marching  order,  Avith 
three  days'  rations.  Unjust  and  cruel  as  this  order  seemed,  there 
was  no  course  but  to  obey,  but  it  was  some  relief  to  find  out  that 
we  were  to  take  the  cars.  The  rebel,  Gen.  Forrest,  had  made  a 
raid  on  the  railroad  near  Dalton  and  was  trying  to  capture  that 
place.  We  were  hurried  forward  to  re-inforce  it,  but  the  next 
morning,  when  we  arrived  at  Resaca,  we  learned  that  Forrest  had 
been  repulsed  and  was  now  making  his  way  back. 


153  [1864 

August  31st. 

Our  command  of  about  three  thousand  was  sent  out  to  cut  off 
his  retreat.  We  marched  rapidly  until  we  arrived  at  the  ford 
where  we  hoped  to  intercept  him,  but  found  that  we  were  too  late. 
We  had  marched  twenty-five  miles  during  the  day  and  the  sun  was 
tremendously  hot.  I  came  near  being  overpowered  by  the  heat.  I 
could  scarcely  put  one  foot  before  -the  other.  Ever  since  I  had 
had  a  touch  of  the  sunstroke  I  could  not  stand  the  heat,  but  1  man- 
aged to  get  through,  and  a  good  supper  and  a  bath  in  the  river 
near  by,  made  a  new  man  of  me.  At  five  o'clock  p.  M.  the  order 
came  to  countermarch.  I  was  better  prepared  for  it  than  most  of 
the  others.  In  the  cool  of  the  evening  I  could  march  as  far  as  any 
of  them.  We  arrived  back  in  camp  about  two  o'clock  A.  M.  It  is 
needless  to  say  that  we  were  in  a  condition  to  enjoy  a  good  sleep. 
In  thirty  hours  we  had  traveled  fifty  miles.  Instead  of  going  back 
to  Marietta,  as  we  anticipated,  our  regiment  was  ordered  to  halt  at 
Ackworth  and  remain  and  garrison  the  place.  So  we  sent  to  Mar- 
ietta for  our  things  and  established  ourselves  in  camp.  Our  regi- 
ment was  scattered  along  the  railroad,  Companies  A  and  B  at  Big 
Shanty,  D  at  Moon  Station  and  C,  K  and  E  at  Ackworth.  Each 
party  immediately  set  to  work  to  fortify  their  position.  We  con- 
verted the  depot  into  a  kind  of  fortress  and  barricaded  brick  houses. 
Now  commenced  those  series  of  alarms,  midnight  tramps  and  forced 
marches  which  did  not  end  until  we  were  finally  captured.  There 
were  not  two  days  in  a  week  but  what  some  of  us  were  out  on  a 
scout.  We  usually  marched  thirty  miles  per  day.  Our  picket 
duty  was  heavy,  and,  in  addition  to  this,  we  had  to  patrol  the  rail- 
road. Scarcely  a  night  passed  but  what  attempts  were  made  to  tear 
up  the  track  or  a  picket  post  was  attacked.  The  country  was  alive 
with  swarming  bands  of  rebel  cavalry,  bent  on  mischief.  One  day 
while  out  scouting,  a  party  of  rebels  came  within  one-half  mile  of 
camp  and  threw  a  train  off  the  track  by  means  of  a  shoe  which  the 
rebs  had  invented  for  the  purpose.  This  shoe  was  made  to  fit  the 
rail  and,  as  the  wheel  ran  onto  it,  it  ran  off.  It  was  a  simple  and 
ingenious  contrivance  and  was  much  safer  and  easier  than  to  try 
to  tear  up  the  track.  We  took  possession  of  this  shoe.  This  trick 
of  the  rebs  caused  us  a  great  deal  of  trouble.  We  had  to  place  our 
videttes  so  closely  together  that  they  could  see  the  whole  railroad. 
Then  woe  to  the  rebel  that  dared  venture  on  the  track. 

How  we  boys  longed  to  get  to  the  front.     Most  anything  was 
10 


1864]  154 

more  tolerable  than  this  harassing  life.  We  had  only  six  hundred 
men  to  guard  thirty  miles  of  railroad  which  was  lined  with  rebel 
scouting  parties.  Our  boys  at  the  front  had  now  reached  the  goal 
of  their  ambition.  Our  flag  now  waved  over  the  "Gate  City  of 
the  South"  and  the  rebel  army,  with  ranks  broken,  was  flying 
before  our  victorious  army.  By  a  bold  flank  movement,  Sherman 
had  marched  to  the  rear  of  Atlanta  and  the  enemy  came  out  and 
met  him  at  Jonesboro,  thirty-five  miles  south  of  the  city  and  they 
were  utterly  routed  and  scattered.  The  20th  corps,  who  remained 
before  Atlanta  to  cover  Sherman's  movements,  now  quietly  took 
possession  of  the  city.  Gen.  Hood  gathered  together  what  he 
could  of  his  broken  and  disorganized  army  and  halted  at  Newman, 
a  place  fifty  miles  to  the  west  of  Atlanta.  Our  army  was  content 
to  rest  awhile.  Meanwhile  the  rebel  army  was  not  idle.  Parties 
were  sent  out  to  intercept  Sherman's  communication.  Our  situa- 
tion was  bad  before.  It  was  ten-fold  more  so  now.  I  was  now 
detailed  as  color-bearer,  but  never  had  an  opportunity  to  take  my 
place. 

September  1st. 

Most  of  the  boys  were  now  boarding  with  the  inhabitants  of 
the  village,  giving  their  rations  for  their  board.  Rollin  and  I  were 
boarding  with  a  lady,  Mrs.  Hunt,  whose  husband  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  Government,  at  Chattanooga,  in  the  machine  shop. 
He  was  a  stanch  Union  man,  but  the  rebels  held  him  now  as  a 
prisoner.  Our  Colonel  also  took  up  his  headquarters  at  her  house 
and  was  treated  with  great  kindness  and  civility.  These  were  estim- 
able people.  They  had  stood  the  test  of  loyalty.  No  threats  could 
intimidate  them,  and,  in  more  than  one  instance,  they  had  done 
our  cause  great  service.  Great  as  was  the  danger  we  incurred,  we 
would  go  out  foraging.  Some  of  our  boys  were  captured  by 
venturing  too  far.  Roll  and  Milt  went  out  a  little  way  one  day 
to  get  some  beef.  They  had  not  gotten  more  than  one  mile  from 
camp  before  they  encountered  some  rebel  cavalry  who  immediately 
gave  them  chase.  They  took  to  the  woods  in  different  directions 
and  made  pretty  tall  time  for  camp.  They  arrived  about  the  same 
time,  breathless.  They  were  a  little  more  cautious  after  this  how 
they  ventured  out.  We  had  a  novel  way  now  of  supplying  our- 
selves with  beef.  Large  droves  of  cattle  were  passing  through 
every  week  to  the  front.  When  we  would  see  a  drove  coming, 
some  of  the  boya  would  slip  out  of  the  road  a  piece  and  when  they 


155  [1864 

came  along,  would  select  a  nice  fat  one  and  hurry  it  out  into  the 
bushes  until  after  the  drove  passed  and  then  butcher  it.  This  trick 
was  played  time  and  again. 

September  20th. 

One  night,  from  my  post  on  picket,  I  saw  a  squad  of  rebels 
skulking  around.  I  told  the  boys  not  to  tire  for  I  thought  it 
would  not  be  prudent  to  disclose  our  position  and  bring  down  an 
overwhelming  force  upon  us.  It  was  hard  to  stand  with  loaded 
guns  and  see  the  rascals  skulking  about,  but  they  did  not  come 
within  good  range  of  our  guns  and  did  not  try  to  molest  the  rail- 
road, therefore,  I  did  not  think  I  would  be  justified  in  alarming 
the  camp  by  attacking  them,  but  we  kept  a  vigilant  eye  upon  them 
until  they  disappeared. 

September  25th. 

We  had  now  about  thirty  mounted  men  and  they  aided  us 
materially  in  scouting  and  warning  us  of  attacks.  A  picket  post  got 
nicely  fooled  one  night.  A  party  of  horsemen  was  approaching 
and  the  sentinel  challenged  them.  The  leader  said  it  was  only 
Col.  Rogers  out  on  a  scout.  This  threw  the  sentinel  off  his  guard 
and  he  permitted  them  to  approach.  They  were  instantly  sur- 
rounded, and  every  man  except  one  was  captured^  He  lay  con- 
cealed until  nearly  daylight,  then  came  in  and  reported.  It  seems 
the  rebel  officer  had  had  the  Colonel's  name  from  some  rascally 
citizen,  and  so  passed  himself  off  for  him  until  it  was  too  late  for 
the  picket  to  escape.  There  was  a  whole  regiment  of  rebels  near 
by.  The  next  morning,  bright  and  early,  our  whole  command  set 
out  to  try  to  overtake  them.  We  pressed  them  so  close  that  we 
came  in  sight  of  their  rear  guard.  Sergeant  Hooker  chased  down 
and  captured  one  man  by  knocking  him  off  his  horse  with  his 
saber.  Those  boys  that  were  captured,  were  all  from  Company  C. 
This  hard  life  began  to  tell  upon  me.  I  was  troubled  with  a  hack- 
ing cough  and  was  feeling  quite  poorly.  Mother  sent  me  a  box 
of  Brown's  bronchial  troches,  which  helped  me. 

There  was  a  doctor  and  one  lady  in  Ackworth,  who 
were  suspected  of  playing  the  spy.  The  doctor  got  passes  to  go 
out  and  in  at  pleasure  to  visit  his  patients,  but  I  believe  he  was 
nothing  more  or  less  than  a  spy,  although  he  professed  to  be  a 
strong  Union  man.  This  lady,  Jones  by  name,  was  a  perfect 
virago.  She  made  pretty  free  use  of  her  tongue  and  abused  us 
whenever  opportunity  would  permit.  The  boys  used  to  go  to  her 


1864]  156 

house  just  to  hear  her  rave  at  the  Yanks.  The  Colonel  and  sev- 
eral of  the  boys  thought  it  would  be  a  nice  thing  to  play  a  Yankee 
.trick  on  her,  and  at  the  same  time  get  some  useful  information  out 
of  her,  so  the  Colonel  procured  a  rebel  Lieutenant's  suit,  and  so 
disguised,  presented  himself  at  her  house  one  night,  after  she  had 
retired.  The  Colonel  gave  his  name  as  Lieutenant — somebody — 
from  Forrest's  cavalry,  and  demanded  to  be  admitted,  as  he  had 
important  information  to  communicate.  Mrs.  Jones  rushed  to 
the  door  to  admit  him.  (It  must  be  remembered  that  this  Mrs. 
Jones  was  a  young  widow).  The  Colonel  told  her  that  Forrest 
was  out  only  a  few  miles,  and  that  very  night  was  going  to  attack 
and  capture  the  place,  and  he  wanted  to  know  who  were  Union 
men  and  who  were  rebels,  at  the  same  time  telling  her  that  all 
Union  men  would  be  hung  and  their  houses  burned.  She  seized  a 
pen  and  gave  him  the  names  of  all  the  Union  families  in  town. 
Amongst  them  were  Mrs.  Hunt's  and  Mrs.  Crawford's.  Before 
the  Colonel  came  in,  he  had  agreed  with  the  boys  on  a  signal  and 
they  were  to  rush  in  and  capture  him.  After  the  Colonel  had  got 
all  the  information  that  he  could,  he  commenced  sparking  her,  and 
was  progressing  finely  when  a  loud  knock  at  the  door  suddenly  in- 
terrupted their  tete-a-tete.  Hastily  throwing  some  bed-quilts  over 
the  Colonel,  she  demanded  to  know  who  was  there.  "Soldiers 
after  a  rebel  spy,"  was  the  prompt  answer.  ' 'There  has  been  no 
such  person  here,"  was  the  rejoinder,  but  they  burst  open  the 
door  and  commenced  search.  The  suppressed  laugh  of  the  Colonel 
betrayed  his  whereabouts,  and  he  was  dragged  forth  apparently 
much  frightened. 

The  widow  scolded,  raved  and  begged  of  them  to  let  him  go, 
but  all  to  no  purpose.  When  fairly  out  of  hearing  the  party 
laughed  to  their  heart's  content.  It  was  not  until  several  days 
after  that  she  found  out  the  trick  that  had  been  played  on  her,  and 
if  ever  there  was  a  mad  woman,  she  was  one.  Similar  tricks  were 
played  off  on  other  rebels,  by  which  means  we  found  out  who 
piloted  that  squad  of  rebel  cavalry  who  captured  our  boys.  He 
was  sent  under  guard  to  Marietta.  We  learned  now  that  the  rebel 
army  had  crossed  the  Chattahoochee  and  was  making  toward 
Home. 

About  this  time  the  Colonel  and  Adjutant  were  called  to 
Atlanta;  the  former  on  a  court  martial  and  the  latter  on  a  visit. 
Capt.  Kenyon  of  Company  C  was  left  in  command.  He  put  on 


157  [1S64 

more  pomp  and  style  than  a  Brigadier-General.  Happening 
around  to  my  picket  post  the  next  morning  and  not  finding  it  to 
suit  him  (but  I  suspect  that  it  was  because  I  did  not  turn  out  the 
guard  to  salute  him)  he  commenced  to  give  me  a  lecture  on  my 
duty.  I  heard  him  through,  although  my  cheeks  tingled  with  sup- 
pressed anger,  for  it  was  wholly  uncalled  for.  It  was  the  first 
reprimand  that  I  had  ever  received  in  the  army  and  it  was  not 
needed  then.  He  finally  wound  up  with  this  declaration:  "Eternal 
vigilance  is  the  price  of  freedom.  Corporal  Barber,  resume  your 
duties.''  The  next  day  I  had  a  good  notion  to  throw  that  declar- 
ation back  in  his  teeth  when  he  so  ignobly  sold  us  to  the  enemy.  The 
last  words  the  Colonel  said  to  him  were  that  if  he  were  attacked  by 
a  superior  force  to  fall  back  to  Allatoona  and  save  all  the  baggage, 
but  self-conceited  as  he  was,  he  chose  to  do  as  he  pleased.  The 
rebel  army,  instead  of  making  for  Rome,  made  directly  for  us. 
They  attacked  Big  Shanty  first,  but  not  until  they  had  killed  and 
wounded  twice  their  number  and  the  rebel  flag  was  planted  on 
their  works  did  our  boys  surrender.  Equally  firm  was  the  resist- 
ance that  they  met  at  Moon  Station.  The  evening  of  October  3d, 
they  camped  within  one  mile  of  Ackworth,  their  camp  fires  ex- 
tending in  a  semi-circle  around  us.  Some  of  us  wanted  to  go  out 
and  reconnoiter  but  the  Captain  would  not  allow  it;  nevertheless, 
some  did  go  out  and  reported  a  large  rebel  army  with  artillery,  but 
the  Captain  would  not  believe  it.  He  said  it  was  a  force  of  rebel 
cavalry  and  they  were  trying  to  scare  us.  Contrary  to  the  advice 
of  all  the  other  officers,  he  persisted  in  his  foolish  determination  to 
remain.  That  night  or  early  the  next  morning,  he  could  have  re- 
treated to  Allatoona  and  saved  everything.  All  night  long  we  lay 
on  our  arms  in  a  drenching  rain  storm  awaiting  an  attack.  It 
seemed  that  the  rebels  were  sure  of  their  prey,  but  rather  than 
alarm  the  garrison  of  Allatoona  Pass,  they  would  suffe?*  us  to 
escape. 


1864]  158 


CHAPTER   XV. 

October  4th. 

The  morning  of  October  4th  dawned  bright  and  beautiful.  The 
rain  drops  still  hanging  from  the  autumn  foliage  reflected  in  the 
bright  rays  of  the  morning  sun,  appeared  like  a  sheen  of  silver,  AS 
if  mocking  at  our  calamity  and  rejoicing  at  the  fate  before  us. 
Long  before  the  rays  of  the  sun  tinged  the  eastern  horizon,  we 
were  astir,  watching  with  strained  vision  for  the  approach  of  the 
foe.  We  knew  that  if  Captain  Kenyon  persisted  in  his  mad  course, 
ere  the  sun  set  we  would  be  prisoners  in  the  hands  o*  our  foe,  but 
with  self-conceit  and  stupidity,  which  was  wholly  inexcusable,  he 
bustled  around  giving  us  orders  as  though  the  fate  of  a  nation  de- 
pended upon  the  issue.  As  daylight  began  to  approach  and  still 
the  enemy  remained  quiet,  Captain  Kenyon  said  that  if  we  got  a 
fight  out  of  those  rebels,  we  would  have  to  go  out  and  meet  them. 
So  he  sent  out  two  companies,  C  and  K,  to  reconnoiter,  and  left 
the  remaining  company  as  reserve.  We  marched  out  a  few  rods 
and  deployed  in  line  as  skirmishers  and  cautiously  advanced.  I 
was  sent  with  five  men  on  the  right  to  guard  against  a  flank 
movement  but  keeping  within  hailing  distance  of  the  line,  though 
quite  concealed  from  it  by  the  intervening  woods.  We  marched 
boldly  up  and  drove  in  their  light  picket  and  marched  up  within 
full  view  of  their  camp.  They  were  not  yet  astir.  It  seemed  that 
General  Loring,  who  commanded  them,  was  in  no  haste  to  open 
the  ball,  so  he  allowed  his  men  all  the  repose  Ihey  could  get,  but 
our  vehement  attack  soon  roused  them  from  their  repose  and  some 
fell  before  our  destructive  fire  before  they  had  time  to  form  their 
lines.  When  the}'  were  fairly  aroused,  we  saw  a  large  army 
spread  out  before  us.  To  oppose  this  host,  we  had  barely  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men.  Slowly  and  deliberately  they  formed  their 
line.  We  could  hear  distinctly  every  order  given.  During  the 
time,  we  made  good  use  of  our  ammunition,  well  knowing  that 
when  they  moved  forward  our  time  would  be  short. 

I  now  stole  cautiously  forward  in  advance  of  my  men  to  get  a 
a  better  view  of  the  position.  A  fierce  yell  now  broke  forth  and  I 
knew  that  the  rebels  were  making  a  charge,  and  almost  before  I  was 
aware  of  it,  I  was  cut  off  from  the  command.  Our  boys  were 


159  [1804 

swept  like  chaff  back  to  their  quarters.  1  resolved  to  make  the 
effort  to  regain  them.  In  so  doing,  I  had  to  pass  the  flank  of  the 
rebel  line  and  cross  an  open  space  over  the  rise  of  a  hill.  I  never 
expected  to  get  over  that  hill  safe.  I  rushed  forward,  casting  side 
glances  at  the  moving  line  of  rebels.  I  saw  a  group  in  advance  of 
the  others,  halt  and  fire  at  me.  A  shower  of  bullets  rattled  around 
me,  two  passing  through  my  clothes.  I  made  a  desperate  effort 
and  got  behind  the  cover  of  a  house  beyond,  halted  and  discharged 
my  gun  into  the  advancing  foe  and  then  rejoined  my  comrades 
who  were  already  sheltered  by  our  frail  defenses.  Some  took  up 
a  position  in  the  depot,  others  around  Mrs.  Hunt's  dwelling  and 
the  rest  scattered  to  the  brick  houses  that  we  had  prepared  for 
such  emergencies.  A  portion  of  Company  C  took  refuge  in  an  old 
brick  store  whose  walls  projected  several  feet  above  the  roof.  On 
this  roof  about  one  dozen  of  us  climbed  and  took  our  position. 
We  made  port  holes  through  the  brick  and  from  there  commenced 
a  galling  fire  on  every  reb  that  came  within  range  of  our  guns. 
Kollin  and  Milton  were  on  picket.  I  did  not  know  what  had 
become  of  them  until  I  saw  them  creeping  around  the  corner  of  a 
house  to  get  a  crack  at  some  rebels  behind  another  house.  I  heard 
the  simultaneous  report  of  their  guns  and  then  saw  them  safely 
retreat  to  the  other  brick  building.  This  set  my  mind  at  ease  as 
regarded  their  safety.  The  rebels  did  not  seem  disposed  to  attack 
us  openly  while  in  our  fortresses,  but  they  were  not  idle.  They 
were  rapidly  surrounding  us,  the  thick  wood  screening  their  move- 
ments from  our  view.  Finally  to  the  east,  where  the  country  was 
more  open;  we  saw  a  long  line  of  troops  emerge  and  a  large  force 
of  cavalry  march  in  our  rear,  but  more  fearful  than  all,  a  battery 
had  been  placed  within  easy  range  of  our  works  and  in  fifteen 
minutes  could  level  our  defense  to  the  earth,  but  with  a  reckless 
courage,  we  still  fought  on.  Now  was  seen  a  horseman  mounted 
on  a  white  steed  advancing  toward  us,  waving  a  white  flag.  On 
the  instant,  the  firing  ceased,  and  we  waited  anxiously  to  know 
our  fate.  I  took  advantage  of  this  temporary  lull  to  retire  to  my 
quarter*  and  fill  my  haversack  with  bread  and  a  canteen  with 
water.  Then  I  took  a  box  of  hard  tack  on  my  shoulders  and 
started  back.  I  meant  to  provide  for  a  siege  if  it  came  to.  that. 
Just  as  I  started  back,  the  maddening  shout  rang  out  that  we  had 
been  surrendered.  I  hastened  back  and  found  the  other  boys  boil- 
ing over  with  rage  at  the  manner  in  which  they  had  been  sold.  A 


!S(i4|  160 

grand  nephew  of  Patrick  Henry,  of  revolutionary  fame,  bore  in 
in  the  flag  of  truce,  accompanied  with  a  demand  for  the  surrender 
of  the  garrison  with  all  stores.  He  gave  three  minutes  for  con- 
sideration and  if  the  demand  was  not  complied  with,  no  mercy 
would  be  shown  except  to  the  sick  and  wounded.  We  could  do 
nothing  else  but  surrender.  A  useless  sacrifice  of  blood  would 
have  been  the  result  of  a  refusal.  During  the  parley,  Mrs.  Hunt 
had  secreted  the  Colonel's  most  valuable  papers  and  the  boys  had 
entrusted  her  with  their  watches  and  other  valuables,  supposing 
that  the  rebels  would  take  everything  from  us.  She  also  concealed 
the  mail  bag  which  was  filled  with  letters  ready  to  mail.  I  had 
one  in  directed  to  Let  Eddy.  After  our  forces  got  possession  of 
our  mail  bag,  some  kind  friend  enclosed  the  letter  in  a  note  to 
Celestia,  telling  her  that  the  writer  of  the  letter  had  been 
captured. 

The  rebel  army  now  began  to  pour  in  by  the  thousand.  It 
was  Gen.  Loring's  division.  We  were  fortunate  indeed  in  falling 
into  that  humane  officer's  hands.  After  stacking  our  arms  and 
delivering  up  our  accoutrements  and  stores,  he  kindly  permitted 
all  to  get  their  breakfast  and  such  articles  of  clothing,  etc.,  as  we 
wished  to  take  with  us*  He  also  ordered  his  men  not  to  molest 
our  private  property  without  our  consent  but  permitted  them  to 
purchase  of  us.  This  kindness  was  duly  appreciated  and  we  acted 
in  a  straightforward  manner  that  won  his  confidence.  This  treat- 
ment was  in  striking  contrast  to  that  received  by  our  comrades  at 
Big  Shanty  and  Moon  Station.  The  rebels  there  stripped  our 
boys  of  almost  everything,  even  to  their  boots  and  hat,  barely 
leaving  them  their  shirts  and  drawers.  These  wretches  belonged 
to  Gen.  French's  division.  The  6th  Mississippi  infantry  was 
detailed  to  guard  us  to  Gen.  Hood's  headquarters  which  was  at 
Dallas.  Gen.  Loring  gave  strict  orders  to  have  us  kindly  treated 
and  recommended  us  to  the  favor  of  General  Hood.  We  found 
the  6th  Mississippi  to  be  composed  of  a  noble  looking  set  of  men. 
They  were  veteran  soldiers  and  treated  us  civilly.  As  we  marched 
by  widow  Jones',  that  detestable  female  rebel  clapped  her  hands 
for  very  joy.  Our  little  drummer  boy,  King,  played  a  sharp 
trick.  He  went  to  Mr.  Crawford's  and  donned  a  citizen's  suit 
and  passed  himself  off  as  their  son,  and  the  next  day  when  our 
army  marched  through  the  place,  he  rejoined  it.  I  will  here 
mention  that  Company  A  and  a  part  of  Company  B  escaped.  The 


161 

rebels  were  now  busy  tearing  Up  the  railroad  and  filling  up  the 
cuts.  Indeed,  the  night  before,  we  could  plainly  hear  them  at 
work.  As  we  marched  past  the  place  where  we  first  made  our 
attack,  we  counted  no  less  than  twelve  newly  made  graves.  We 
had  only  one  man  wounded.  We  were  marched  to  Gen.  Stewart's 
headquarters  at  Big  Shanty,  and  from  there  we  marched  toward 
Dallas.  As  we  were  marching  along  we  could  plainly  see  our 
signals  flying  from  Kennesaw  mountain.  Right  over  the  heads  of 
the  rebel  army,  that  signal  flag  sent  an  order  to  Rome  for  re-in- 
forcements  to  defend  Allatoona  Pass,  and  the  consequence  was 
that  when  the  rebels  attacked  that  stronghold  the  next  day,  they 
were  bloodily  repulsed.  We  went  into  camp  that  night  late  and 
Avithin  four  miles  of  Hood's  headquarters.  Although  a  vigilant 
guard  was  kept  over  us,  we  were  allowed  a  good  many  liberties. 
Early  the  next  morning  we  were  marched  up  to  Hood's  head- 
quarters. We  reluctantly  parted  with  the  6th  Mississippi  here. 
We  knew  that  we  could  not  get  into  any  better  hands,  but  in  all 
probability  into  worse.  I  found  amongst  them  some  brother  masons, 
and  the  strong  bonds  of  fraternal  love  which  permeates  our  order 
were  held  sacred  by  those  arrayed  in  arms  against  us.  I  have  to 
acknowledge  many  kindnesses  extended  to  me  by  the  brothers. 

October  5th. 

At  Gen.  Hood's  headquarters,  our  names  were  registered  and 
one  day's  rations  were  drawn,  consisting  of  one  pint  of  corn  meal 
and   a   few   ounces   of   raw   beef   without  salt.      We   were    not 
furnished   anything  to   cook    with.     Indeed,    the   rebels   did  not 
have  anything  of  the  kind  with  them,  so  most  of  the  boys  made 
dough  of   their  meal   and    baked  it  on  a  stone   and    the    beef  was 
thrown  on  the  fire  and  roasted.     I  and  several  others  of  my  mess 
happened  to  have  little  pails,   and  a  plate,    knife  and  fork  along. 
We  made  our  meal  into  mush  and  as  good  fortune   would  have  it, 
\\c  had  a  little  salt  also  and  we  fared  comparatively  well.     We 
now  sold  considerable  of  our  baggage  for   which  the  rebels  paid 
exorbitant  prices  in  confederate  money.     For  instance,  for  a  good 
rubber   such  as  cost  three   dollars,    they  would   pay   twenty-five. 
Milt,  Roll,  Elex   and   myself   concluded   not  to   part   with   these 
useful  articles  and  it  was  well  for  us  that  we  did  not.     We  sold 
such  things  as  we   could    dispense   with.     I  sold  my  old    canteen, 
knapsack  and    portfolio  for  twenty  dollars  of  confederate   scrip. 
My  messmates,  Roll,  Milt   and  Elex  sold  enough  so  that  we  had 


1864]  162 

about  two  hundred  dollars  in  confederate  money,  and  between  us 
we  had  thirty  dollars  in  greenbacks,  and  as  the  latter  was  eagerly 
sought  for  by  the  rebels,  we  felt  that  our  condition  could  have 
been  much  worse.  We  found  the  rest  of  our  battalion  here  and  a 
sorry  looking  set  they  were.  Some  were  minus  boots,  hats  and 
coats  but  with  a  brave  spirit  they  made  light  of  it  and  we  joked 
each  other  as  freely  as  we  would  in  our  own  camp. 

The  12th  Tennessee  cavalry  was  now  detailed  to  guard  us,  and 
with  few  exceptions,  they  treated  us  as  kindly  as  the  6th  Missis- 
sippi. We  left  Hood's  headquarters  about  3  o'clock  P.  M.  and 
traveled  until  about  8  o'clock.  During  the  day  we  heard  heavy 
cannonading  in  the  direction  of  Allatoona,  and  we  knew  that  they 
were  having  a  fierce  fight  there.  We  all  felt  deeply  anxious  to 
know  the  result  of  the  engagement.  If  they  succeeded  in  captur- 
ing the  place,  it  would 'be  an  irreparable  loss  to  our  army.  Toward 
evening  the  sound  of  battle  ceased,  and  to  our  anxious  inquiries  as  to 
how  the  battle  went,  the  rebels  remained  silent,  but  their  gloomy 
countenances  told  us  just  as  plainly  as  words  that  they  had  been 
defeated.  We  passed  through  the  whole  rebel  army,  and  as  a 
general  thing,  we  found  them  in  high  spirits.  Their  leaders  had 
worked  upon  their  minds  and  made  them  believe  that  victory  and 
the  destruction  of  Sherman's  army  was  before  them — that  they 
would  carry  the  war  to  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  and  possibly  invade 
the  free  states,  but  the  bloody  repulse  at  Allatoona  rather  chilled 
their  ardor.  They  were  out  of  rations  and  confidently  expected 
to  get  the  immense  supply  at  that  place,  but  that  little  band  of 
three  thousand  men  drove  back  in  confusion  two  divisions  of  the 
rebel  army,  and  they  were  forced  to  beat  a  hurried  retreat  to  avoid 
a  clash  with  Sherman's  army,  which  was  now  closely  pressing 
them.  We  firmly  believed,  and  subsequent  events  justified  the 
belief,  that  this  was  a  trap  laid  by  Sherman  to  compass  the  de- 
struction of  the  rebel  army.  My  readers  need  not  be  told  how 
well  he  succeeded.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  bantering  between 
vhe  rebs  aud  us.  They  confidently  thought  that  they  would  regain 
more  than  they  had  lost,  and  tried  to  bargain  for  our  coats  and 
blankets.  They  said  they  were  going  North,  where  it  was  colder, 
while  we  were  going  South,  where  it  was  warmer,  so  we  would 
not  need  them.  We  told  them  that  we  did  not  doubt  but  what 
they  would  go  North,  and  the  most  of  them  get  up  as  far  as  Camp 
Douglas  and  other  northern  prisons.  They  did  not  relish  this 


163  [1864: 

thrust  much  and  had  they  known  how  true  our  prophecy  was,  they 
would  have  relished  it  less.  We  resumed  our  mareh  at  daylight. 
It  had  rained  all  night  and  nearly  all  day.  We  halted  at  10  o'clock 
A.  M.  and  drew  two  days'  rations,  consisting  of  hard  bread  and 
bacon.  Resumed  the  march  at  12  o'clock  M.  The  marching  was 
very  difficult  on  account  of  the  mud.  We  camped  at  Villa  Ricca, 
having  marched  over  twenty-five  miles  during  the  day. 

October  7th. 

Resumed  the  march  at  daybreak.  We  camped  that  night  on 
the  south  bank  of  the  Chattahoochee,  having  marched  over  twenty 
miles.  The  rear  of  the  rebel  army  was  camped  here.  Gen.  Beau- 
regard  passed  during  the  evening.  He  was  on  his  way  to  the 
front  to  assume  command. 

October  8th. 

During  the  night,  the  rebels  took  up  their  pontoon,  marched 
at  sunrise,  arrived  at  Newman  at  10  o'clock  A.  M.  Here  we  drew 
two  days'  more  rations.  Newman  is  a  scaall  town  on  the  West 
Point  railroad.  We  were  quartered  here  in  the  old  court  house 
and  remained  all  night. 

During  the  day,  Milton  and  I  were  drawn  into  a  discussion 
with  a  violent  rebel  of  the  aristocratic  sort.  Our  debate  grew 
warm.  Milton  got  his  blood  up  and  the  guard  interfered.  When- 
ever occasion  required,  we  did  not  hesitate  to  express  our  senti- 
ments. We  indulged  in  the  hope  all  along  that  a  speedy  exchange 
of  prisoners  would  be  made  and  we  would  be  free  soon.  Had  we 
known  that  we  were  going  to  Andersonville  prison  pen,  we  would 
not  have  gone  so  quietly  along.  We  had  some  opportunities  to 
try  to  effect  our  escape,  but  we  thought  that  a  failure  would  sub- 
ject us  all  to  more  rigorous  confinement,  and  if  we  succeeded,  it 
would  be  worse  for  those  that  remained.  So  we  desisted.  Be- 
sides, our  guard  put  us  upon  our  honor  and  trusted  us.  A  mason, 
one  of  the  guard,  allowed  me  to  go  out  forty  rods  alone  and  fill 
some  canteens. 

October  9th. 

We  took  the  cars  at  two  o'clock  A.  M.  for  West  Point.  Arrived 
there  at  daylight.  Here  we  parted  with  the  12th  Tennessee 
cavalry.  I  will  here  mention  that  at  Newman  I  wrote  home  and 
entrusted  my  letter  with  Dr.  Chafee.  It  was  contrary  to  the  rules 
of  war  to  hold  surgeons  as  prisoners.  The  doctor  was  going  home 
by  the  way  of  Richmond,  but  as  he  never  mailed  the  letter,  our 


1864] 

folks  did  not  hear  directly  from  me  while  a  prisoner.  We  now 
drew  another  day's  rations  and  took  up  a  line  of  march  for  Colum- 
bus in  charge  of  several  companies  of  Alabama  militia  who  treated 
us  more  like  brutes  than  men.  We  halted  at  sundown  and  camped. 
Their  insolence  was  hardly  bearable,  and  we  commenced  secretly 
maturing  plans  for  revenge  and  escape.  It  only  wanted  the  sanc- 
tion of  our  own  officers  to  carry  it  into  effect,  but  they  would  not 
countenance  it.  Possibly  the  rebels  had  an  inkling  of  what  was 
going  on  for  they  ceased  their  abuse.  These  were  men  who  had 
never  seen  active  service  and  they  made  much  ado  about  their 
bravery,  but  they  were  the  most  despicable  cowards  imaginable. 
Could  fifty  of  our  men  have  got  hold  of  arms,  we  would  not  have 
hesitated  to  have  attacked  the  whole  crew.  As  it  was,  they  rode 
along  with  their  pieces  ready,  fearing  that  we  might  attempt  to 
escape.  The  commander  of  these  brave  Alabamians  rejoiced  in 
the  name  of  Sir  William  Wallace.  The  boys  put  on  the  Sir  just  to 
excite  his  vanity.  I  will  note  one  instance  of  his  bravery.  Some 
of  the  boys  became  footsore  and  weary.  They  inarched  us  almost 
on  a  double  quick  and  some  could  not  keep  up.  This  brave 
Alabamian  would  ride  back,  draw  his  revolver,  flourish  it  over  his 
head  and  threaten  to  shoot  them  if  they  did  not  keep  up.  One  of 
our  boys  in  Company  C,  turned  on  him,  drew  his  form  up  to  its 
fullest  extent  and  with  flashing  eye,  bared  his  bosom  and  dared 
him  to  shoot.  The  valiant  Captain  was  snubbed.  He  quailed 
beneath  those  flashing  eyes. 

October  10th. 

We  were  on  the  march  again  at  early  dawn  and  one  hour  before 
sunset,  the  spires  of  the  beautiful  city  of  Columbus  were  in  view. 
This  was  a  place  of  some  twelve  thousand  inhabitants  and  was  noted 
for  its  extensive  iron  manufacturing  works,  they  being  the  most  ex- 
tensive of  any  in  the  South.  The  place  at  this  time  was  a  military 
post  and  presented  some  signs  of  life.  It  lies  on  the  Chattahoochee 
river  and  is  a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Our  eager  eyes 
took  in  everything,  noting  its  defenses.  We  were  sure  that  Gen. 
Sherman  would  ere  long  pay  his  compliments  to  this  city.  We 
were  not  mistaken.  In  less  than  two  months  after  we  were  there, 
the  federal  flag  waved  ov^r  the  city.  We  were  marched  up  before 
the  commandant's  headquarters  for  inspection,  where  a  gaping, 
eager  crowd  stared  at  us.  They  wanted  to  know  where  the  rest 
of  the  prisoners  were.  They  had  read  in  their  papers  and  heard 


165  [1864 

by  report  that  there  were  seven  thousand  prisoners  expected. 
When  they  found  out  that  there  were  only  four  hundred,  they  felt 
cheap  enough.  They  inquired  for  Sherman.  Some  supposed  that 
he  was  along.  One  man  stepped  out  and  pointed  out  a  person  of 
rather  shabby  appearance  and  said  that  he  was  Mr.  Sherman.  The 
crowd  stared  eagerly  at  him.  We  could  not  restrain  a  shout  of 
laughter.  These  poor  deluded  beings  did  actually  believe  that 
Sherman  was  along.  Their  papers  said  that  he  was  captured  and 
of  course  they  believed  it.  We  were  marched  to  the  church  green 
and  rested  awhile.  Our  valiant  Alabamians  were  now  relieved, 
and  they  returned,  covered  with  imaginary  laurels.  It  seemed  as 
though  the  whole  population  of  Columbus  came  out  to  gaze  at  us. 
The  reigning  belles,  children  and  aged,  and  even  the  very  dogs 
eyed  us  curiously.  I  suppose  that  they  never  saw  a  Yank  before 
and  they  expected  to  see  something  like  wild  animals,  but  when 
they  found  out  that  we  were  veritable  human  beings,  their  wonder 
ceased  and  they  seemed  disposed  to  treat  us  kindly.  We  sent 
some  of  them  to  the  bakery  for  us  and  they  faithfully  performed 
the  errand  and  would  not  take  a  cent  for  their  trouble. 

A  detachment  of  the  39th  Alabama  infantry  now  had  us  in 
charge.  They  were  veteran  soldiers  and  knew  how  to  treat  prison- 
ers. In  fact,  in  their  presence,  we  almost  forgot  that  we  were 
prisoners.  They  allowed  us  a  great  deal  of  freedom  and  treated 
us  with  the  most  magnanimous  kindness.  We  were  quartered  in 
an  old  cattle  pen  that  night  and  a  strict  guard  placed  over  us. 
They  apprehended  an  attempt  to  escape.  Early  the  next  morning 
we  took  the  cars  as  we  hoped  for  Macon.  We  had  a  horrid  dread 
of  Andersonville.  The  inhuman  treatment  of  prisoners  received 
at  that  place  had  reached  our  ears,  but  when  we  came  to  the  Junc- 
tion and  left  the  Macon  road  to  our  left,  then  we  knew  we  were 
doomed  for  Andersonville.  Our  train  moved  slowly  and  we  had 
plenty  of  opportunities  to  attempt  to  escape,  and  it  seems  now 
almost  a  wonder  that  we  did  not  attempt  it.  The  only  reason  I 
can  give  is  that  we  did  not  fully  realize  our  situation.  Our  guards 
treated  us  so  kindly,  we  did  not  realize  we  would  get  into  such 
fiendish  hands  as  the  rebel  commandant  at  Andersonville,  and  here 
I  will  make  a  statement  that  is  true  and  proved  true  in  every 
instance,  and  that  is,  whenever  we  fell  into  the  hand*  of  veteran 
soldiers  who  had  fought  us  bravely  on  the  battle-field,  we  received 
all  of  the  kind  and  considerate  attention  due  a  prisoner  of  war,  but 


186-J-J  166 

whenever  we  were  in  charge  of  militia  or  that  class  of  persons  who, 
too  cowardly  to  take  the  field,  enlisted  in  the  home  guard,  we 
were  treated  in  the  most  outrageous  manner.  Now  let  it  be  under, 
stood  that  most  of  the  guard  at  Andersonville  were  these  militia. 
There  were  a  few  veteran  troops  there. 

October  llth. 

At  4  o'clock  P.  M.  the  Georgia  Hell,  which  clutched  in  its  iron 
grasp  ten  thousand  Union  soldiers,  was  seen  in  the  distance.  We 
were  marched  up  to  the  commandant's  headquarters, Captain  Wirz, 
where  a  rigid  search  was  performed  before  we  were  put  inside  the 
stockade.  This  devil  in  human  shape,  Wirz,  I  will  briefly 
describe.  Any  man  gifted  with  any  discernment  would  pronounce 
him  a  villain  at  first  sight.  I  should  judge  that  he  was  of  German 
descent;  five  feet  eight  or  nine  inches  high;  sandy  complexion,  with  a 
scowling  look.  On  his  upper  jaw  one  tooth  protruded,  giving  his 
otherwise  repulsive  features  a  horrid  expression.  As  he  moved 
around  amongst  us,  he  spit  out  his  vile  abuse  in  the  most  disgust- 
ing manner,  nearly  every  word  an  oath.  It  was  evident  that  he 
had  received  instructions  from  his  superiors  in  regard  to  our 
search  else  we  would  have  fared  differently.  As  it  was,  they  only, 
took  away  our  knapsacks,  canteens,  haversacks,  knives,  etc.,  and 
allowed  us  to  keep  all  under  twenty  dollars  in  money.  When  his 
subordinate  came  to  search  me,  I  emptied  my  pockets  before  him. 
Amongst  other  things,  I  had  a  box  of  Brown's  bronchial  troches. 
I  told  the  sergeant  who  was  searching  me  (he  appeared  to  be  a  nice 
fellow)  that  it  was  some  cough  medicine  my  mother  had  sent  me 
for  a  severe  cough.  He  thought  that  I  would  be  allowed  to  keep 
them.  Unfortunately,  the  captain  happened  to  see  them.  He 
snatched  them  out  of  my  hand,  smelled  of  them,  sniffed 
up  his  nose  and  then  scattered  them  in  the  dirt  at  my  feet.  I 
never  experienced  a  moment  of  such  frenzied  rage  before  in  my 
life.  If  I  had  had  a  revolver  I  should  have  shot  him  on  the  spot, 
regardless  of  consequences,  but  a  moment's  sober  thought  con- 
vinced me  how  useless  it  would  be  to  have  remonstrated,  for  to 
have  said  one  word,  would  have  been  the  signal  for  my  death.  We 
were  powerless  and  in  the  hands  of  a  merciless  foe.  During  the 
search  Rollin  picked  up  some  of  them,  so  I  succeeded  in  breaking 
my  cough.  I  firmly  believe,  had  it  not  been  for  them,  I  would 
have  been  added  to  the  long  list  of  victims  whose  bodies  were  loft 
to  rot  in  unknown  and  unmarked  graves  in  this  Southern  hell. 


167  [1864 

Rollin  also  had  a   box  of  homeoepathic  medicine  which  was  taken 
from  him. 

About  sundown  we  were  marched  to  the  outside  gate  of  hell. 
One  of  his  satanic  majesty's  servants  stood  ready  to  meet  us  and 
to  usher  us  into  the  inner  temple.  Its  huge  doors  swung  open  to 
admit  us  and  we  were  in  the  presence  of — I  do  not  know  what  to 
call  them.  It  was  evident  that  they  were  once  human  beings,  but 
hunger,  sickness,  exposure  and  dirt  had  so  transformed  them  that 
they  more  resembled  walking  skeletons,  painted  black.  Our  feel- 
ings cannot  be  described  as  we  gazed  on  these  poor  human  beings. 
Equally  astonished  were  they  to  see  us.  I  presume  we  appeared 
to  them  like  heavenly  visitants,  so  white  did  we  appear  in  compari- 
son with  them.  Almost  the  first  cry  that  greeted  our  ears  was 
"fresh  fish,"  then  eager  questions  as  to  where  we  came  from, 
whether  there  was  any  prospect  of  exchange.  How  eagerly  would 
they  watch  for  the  least  gleam  of  hope!  How  their  wan  cheeks  lit 
up  \vith  intense  joy  as  we  told  them  we  hoped  to  be  exchanged 
soon!  Oh,  ye  who  were  basking  in  the  sunlight  of  home  and 
friends,  surrounded  by  comfort  and  plenty,  how  little  you  could 
realize  the  suffering  and  misery  that  your  friends  were  experienc- 
ing in  Southern  prisons,  confined  in  loathsome  dungeons,  or  foul 
pens,  starved,  sick,  meeting  with  nothing  but  injury  and  insult, 
with  no  ray  of  hope  to  illumine  their  path,  no  kind  word  to  cheer, 
where  death  would  seem  an  angel  messenger  to  release  them  from 
their  trouble.  No  wonder  that  stout  hearts,  who  had  faced  death  in 
a  thousand  forms  on  bloody  fields  with  unblanched  cheek  and  flash- 
ing eye,  should  now  give  up  and  groan  in  anguish  and  despair!  To 
face  death  on  the  battle-field  where,  if  you  met  death,  your  friends 
would  know  your  fate,  and  to  die  with  the  glorious  old  banner 
waving  over  you  would  be  a  blessing  indeed,  compared  to  the 
dark  despair  which  here  engulfed  us.  Entirely  forsaken,  it  seemed, 
by  our  Government,  what  hope  was  there  to  comfort  us?  But,  if 
we  would  live,  we  could  not  indulge  in  these  thoughts.  All  who 
gave  way  to  their  grief  soon  sank  into  the  arms  of  death.  I  saw 
what  I  had  to  meet  and  bent  my  strength  and  energies  to  meet  it. 
I  knew  that  if  ever  I  went  out  of  that  place  alive,  I  should  have  to 
meet  everything  in  a  determined  manner.  I  dared  not  look  at  the 
dark  picture,  but  I  looked  forward  to  life  and  liberty.  I  was 
determined  to  conquer  my  disease  and  I  succeeded,  though,  that, 
with  the  scant  rations,  left  me  weak.  I  thought  that  I  had  seen 


1864]  168 

misery  in  its  worst  forms,  but  the  worst  that  I  had  ever  seen  was 
paradise  compared  to  what  here  met  my  vision.  Such  squalid, 
tilthy  wretchedness,  hunger,  disease,  nakedness  and  cold,  I  never 
saw  before.  Thirty-five  thousand  souls  had  been  crowded  into  this 
pen,  filling  it  completely.  Poorly  clad  and  worse  fed,  drinking 
filth  and  slime,  from  one  hundred  to  three  hundred  of  these  passed 
into  the  gate  of  the  eternal  world  daily.  In  fourteen  months'  time, 
fourteen  thousand  found  a  resting-place  in  the  grave.  In  hot 
weather,  while  in  their  dying  agonies,  these  suffering  soldiers 
would  clutch  at  the  ground  to  dig  a  hole  in  the  sand  in  which  to 
hide  their  heads  from  the  burning  rays  of  the  sun.  Anderson ville 
prison  originally  comprised  sixteen  acres  of  sandy  soil,  covered 
with  pitch  pine. 

Near  the  north  end,  a  filthy  stream,  bordered  by  a  mucky 
swamp,  ran  through  it.  From  this  stream  the  prisoners  got  a 
great  deal  of  their  water.  Afterwards  a  spring  broke  out  in  the 
east  part  of  the  camp,  north  of  the  swamp,  which  supplied  the 
whole  camp  with  pure  water.  In  the  swamp  the  men  would  wade 
waist  deep,  to  gather  a  few  roots  with  which  to  make  fires 
to  cook  their  scanty  rations.  Some  who  were  unable  to  get 
wood,  would  give  one-half  of  their  rations  for  the  sake  of  getting 
the  rest  cooked.  Subsequently,  our  rations  were  furnished  us 
cooked.  Some  of  the  men,  while  wading  in  this  swamp,  caught 
the  disease  called  gangrene.  The  bruises  or  sores  they  had  on 
them  coming  in  contact  with  the  poisonous  filth  of  the  swamp 
poisoned  the  affected  part.  The  victim  usually  died  after  suffer- 
ing the  most  excrutiating  agony.  If  one  chanced  to  recover,  he 
lost  the  limb  on  which  was  the  affected  part.  In  these  wounds, 
vermin  or  maggots  would  gather,  and  there  was  not  attention 
enough  paid  to  the  patient  to  keep  the  wound  purified.  The 
prison  was  surrounded  by  a  double  line  of  stockades,  by  palisades 
protruding  ten  or  twelve  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  earth.  The 
palisades  were  pine  logs  from  one  foot  to  eighteen  inches  in 
thickness.  On  the  outside  of  the  inside  stockade,  platforms  were 
erected  for  sentinels.  In  the  daytime  only  every  other  stand  was 
occupied.  In  the  night,  it  was  doubled.  Inside  the  stockade 
about  twenty  feet  from  its  base,  was  erected  what  was  called  a 
"dead  line"  and  a  prisoner  that  even  put  a  foot  beyond  that  line, 
sealed  his  death  if  the  guard  chose  to  shoot  him.  It  is  estimated 
that  from  two  to  five  deaths  occurred  daily  from  this  cause  alone 


169  [1864 

while  the  prison  was  so  crowded.  Subsequently,  when  a  larger 
portion  of  the  prisoners  had  been  removed,  our  treatment  was  not 
so  rigorous.  Before  the  prison  pen  was  enlarged,  the  prisoners 
were  crowded  so  that  they  could  hardly  find  room  to  lie  down  and 
then  perhaps  it  would  be  in  their  own  tilth.  Water  became  so 
scarce  that  many  commenced  digging  wells,  and  wells  thirty  feet 
deep  were  dug  with  no  other  tool  than  a  jack  knife  or  one  half  of  a 
canteen,',  the  dirt  being  drawn  up  in  little  pails.  So  thick  did  the 
wells  become  that  it  was  dangerous  to  walk  in  the  nighttime.  As 
for  shelter,  very  few  had  any  except  what  they  found  by  burrow- 
ing in  the  earth  or  building  clay  houses.  The  consequence  was 
that  many  died  from  exposure.  There  was  no  time  of  day  but 
what  we  could  see  some  dead  men  lying  around  camp  while  scores 
of  others  were  dying.  Some  would  be  so  thickly  covered  with 
vermin,  or  more  properly  called  body  lice,  as  to  be  perfectly  white 
with  them.  In  fact,  they  would  eat  them  up  alive  and  they  had  not 
the  power  to  rise  or  get  rid  of  them.  We  would  find  some  poor 
soldier  almost  destitute  of  clothing,  his  body  resembling  a  charred 
mass  of  flesh  and  bones,  lying  with  no  shelter,  sick  nigh  unto 
death,  with  no  friends,  no  hope,  longing  and  praying  for  death  to 
relieve  him.  There  was  one  curious  phase  of  human  nature 
exhibited  here  in  regard  to  helping  one  another.  One  would 
naturally  suppose  that  being  thrown  together,  as  we  were,  that 
banding  together  and  helping  one  another  would  take  place,  and 
when  a  squad,  company  or  regiment  was  captured  together,  this 
was  generally  the  case,  but  if  one  was  captured  alone,  put  with 
strangers  and  became  sick,  it  was  ten  chances  to  one  that  he  Avould 
die  unattended  by  any  human  being.  His  fellow  sufferers  would 
puss  him  with  perhaps  this  remark,  "Let  his  friends  take  care  of 
him.  I  have  more  than  I  can  see  to  now,"  and  so  the  poor 
sufferer  expires  uncared  for  and  unknown.  How  many,  many 
homes  in  our  land  have  been  darkened  by  the  uncertainty  of  the 
fate  that  befell  their  lost  ones.  Before  we  entered  Andersonville, 
the  prisoners,  except  about  ten  thousand,  had  been  removed  to 
other  prisons  and  it  had  been  enlarged  to  twenty-six  acres,  bring- 
ing the  stream  in  the  middle  of  the  prison,  and  as  the  spring  had 
broken  out,  we  did  not  experience  near  as  much  suffering  as  the 
other  prisoners  did  before  a  portion  of  them  were  removed,  but 
our  treatment  would  have  put  the  wildest,  untutored  savage  to 

the  blush. 
11 


1864]  170 

As  soon  as  AVG  got  settled,  we  went  to  work  renovating  the 
camp  and  we  produced  a  marked  change  in  its  appearance.  We 
were  soon  organized  into  detachments  and  messes,  ours  being  the 
6th  detachment  and  5th  mess.  A  sergeant  had  charge  of  each 
mess.  A  rebel  sergeant  charge  of  each  detachment.  We  had  roll- 
call  each  morning.  If  one  was  found  absent,  our  rations  would  be 
withheld  until  he  wras  accounted  for.  Sometimes  a  whole  mess 
would  go  without  rations  on  account  of  the  delinquency  of  one 
man.  Our  daily  rations  consisted  of  a  piece  of  corn  bread,  about 
two  and  one-half  inches  square,  one  pint  of  beans,  with  pods,  dirt 
and  bugs  all  cooked  together,  and  in  lieu  of  these,  some  maggoty 
rice.  Sometimes  we  would  get  some  pork,  but  one  day's  rations 
was  not  a  decent  mouthful.  We  occasionally  drew  a  small  piece 
of  skeleton  beef,  sometimes  so  strong  that  we  could  smell  it  before 
it  got  near  us.  We  usually  cooked  our  grub  over  to  purify  it  and 
make  it  into  soup.  From  the  beans  we  could  skim  off  spoonful 
after  spoonful  of  bugs,  but  most  of  the  boys  preferred  to  eat  them 
bugs  and  all.  Such,  my  readers,  is  the  plain,  unvarnished  state- 
ment of  our  prison  fare;  but  we  were  not  long  in  finding  out 
the  most  favorably  disposed  guards  and  they  would  carry  on  a 
traffic  with  us  on  the  sly,  furnishing  us  with  sweet  potatoes,  corn 
meal,  etc.  In  this  manner  we  managed  to  live.  I  verily  believed 
that  we  would  have  starved  to  death  if  it  had  not  been  for  this. 
There  were  some  rebel  sutlers'  who  made  money  out  of  the 
prisoners.  A  sort  of  market  street  was  established,  and  all  times 
of  day  the  most  avaricious  were  trying  to  speculate.  Some  would 
manage  to  get  hold  of  a  little  flour  and  make  a  few  biscuits,  and  for 
one  little  biscuit,  about  two  or  three  mouthfuls,  they  would  charge 
ten  cents  in  greenbacks  or  fifty  cents  in  confederate  money.  Every- 
thing else  in  proportion.  For  instance,  a  teaspoon  of  salt  would 
sell  for  fifty  cents.  There  seemed  to  be  a  perfect  mania  amongst 
some  of  the  rebels  to  get  something  that  belonged  to  the  Yanks. 
Our  military  buttons  took  their  eye  at  first,  and  I  have  seen  as  high 
as  twenty  dollars  paid  for  one-half  dozen.  We  disposed  of  all  these 
extra  and  useless  articles  and  took  in  exchange  something  to  eat. 
The  trade  with  the  guard  was  made  at  a  certain  hour  of  the  night 
under  cover  of  darkness. 

EXTRACT    FROM    DIARY. 

October  13th. 
Arose  early,  washed  a  shirt,  pair  of  socks  and   one  pair  of 


171  [1864 

drawers  and  took  a  good  bath.  The  mortality  of  the  camp  is  about 
twenty  per  day  now.  Rollin,  Milton  and  Alex  Killon  are  my 
messmates. 

October  14th. 

Cloudy  and  prospect  of  rain. 

October  15th. 

Pleasant  and  warm. 

October  16th. 

Cool  night,  pleasant  morning.  Drew  rice  and  molasses  last 
evening.  We  got  a  little  wood  yesterday  for  the  first  time.  A 
piece  two  and  one-half  inches  through  and  two  feet  long  being  a 
ration. 

October  17th. 

Are  gathering  brick  made  of  wet  clay  baked  in  the  sun,  for  the 
purpose  of  building  a  small  house  for  winter  quarters. 

October  18th. 

Pleasant.  Busy  putting  up  our  winter  quarters.  Did  not 
draw  any  corn  bread  last  night.  Drew  only  one  pint  of  beans. 

October  19th. 

We  are  having  splendid  weather;  nights  getting  to  be  quite 
cold.  Wrote  a  letter  home  according  to  the  rules  prescribed  and 
sent  it  on  its  mission,  trusting  to  the  fate  of  war  to  reach  its 
destination.  Drew  our  back  rations  of  bread  this  evening,  and 
the  boys  are  feeling  quite  well.  The  number  of  deaths  is  decreas- 
ing- 

October  20th. 

Was  on  fatigue  this  morning,  filling  up  old  wells.  Some  of 
the  detail  carried  out  the  dead  to  the  deadhouse.  It  is  very  shock- 
ing to  human  feelings  the  way  the  dead  are  disposed  of.  They  are 
piled  up  in  a  wagon  like  so  much  wood,  taken  to  holes  dug  for 
them  and  piled  in,  with  no  respect  for  decency  or  humanity.  We 
are  still  working  on  our  little  house.  The  sides  and  one  end  are 
laid  up  two  feet  with  brick.  We  are  going  to  put  on  a  mud  roof. 
Will  take  several  days  yet  to  complete  it.  Its  dimensions  are  six 
feet  wide,  seven  feet  long  and  four  feet  high.  Four  of  us  occupy 
this  little  building.  There  is  considerable  talk  of  exchange  of  pris- 
oners between  Hood  and  Sherman.  A  few  of  us  are  allowed  to 
go  out  once  in  awhile  under  strong  guard  for  wood.  Some  of  the 
boys  have  at  such  times  attempted  to  escape,  but  the  blood- 
hounds generally  tracked  them  down  and  they  were  caught  and 


1864]  172 

brought  back.  I  have  seen  some  of  the  prisoners  so  mutilated  and 
torn  up  by  these  hounds  that  it  did  not  seem  possible  for  them  to 
recover.  A  large  pack  of  these  hounds  was  kept  for  this  purpose. 
Under  command  of  their  master,  they  are  trained  to  the  sound  of 
the  bugle  and  are  kept  half-starved  to  make  them  ferocious.  They 
take  a  circuit  around  the  stockade  every  morning  to  see  if  there  are 
any  fresh  tracks.  So  keen  is  the  scent  of  these  hounds  that  they 
can  scent  the  very  air  through  which  a  person  travels,  but  the  scent 
can  be  destroyed  by  using  turpentine  on  the  soles  of  your  feet  and 
in  your  armpits.  Some  of  the  boys  escaped  by  using  some  of  this. 
Or  if  a  prisoner  can  get  twenty-four  hours  the  start,  he  is  safe 
from  pursuit  of  the  hounds,  but  he  is  in  danger  of  running  across, 
at  any  moment,  bands  of  confederate  soldiers  patrolling  the 
country  for  deserters  and  escaped  prisoners.  Some  have  been 
caught  and  brought  back  after  they  got  in  sight  of  our  linss.  The 
negroes,  with  rare  exception,  always  befriend  these  fugitives. 
They  have  been  known  in  hundreds  of  cases  to  secrete  and  feed  them 
for  months.  Tunnelling  was  now  resorted  to  as  a  means  of  escape. 
Some  of  my  comrades  were  engaged  in  this.  Only  a  certain  num- 
ber were  let  into  the  secret.  They  would  work  it  in  this  way.  They 
would  build  a  kind  of  shanty  over  one  of  the  deep  wells  and  then 
go  down  some  twenty  or  thirty  feet  into  the  well  and  commence 
digging,  the  bottom  of  the  well  furnishing  plenty  of  room  for  the 
dirt.  One  tunnel  was  so  nearly  completed  that  one  night's  work 
would  have  finished  it,  when  someone  proved  traitor  and  exposed 
them.  Thus,  from  the  highest  pinnacle  of  hope  to  the  lowest  depth 
of  despair  were  they  plunged.  After  these  attempts  had  been  dis- 
covered, the  commander  sent  for  the  ringleaders  and  told  them 
that  if  any  such  thing  were  attempted  again,  he  would  open  fire  on 
the  prisoners  with  grape  and  canister  and  not  cease  while  one  was 
alive.  We  knew  that  his  disposition  was  none  too  good  for  such 
an  outrage  and  it  operated  as  a  restraint.  At  one  time  a  plan  was 
nearly  perfected  for  a  revolt,  but  it  was  discovered  by  a  traitor 
divulging  the  plan.  One  of  our  boys,  Wolford  Hotchkiss  was  shot 
at  one  day  for  stepping  a  second  beyond  the  dead  line,  but  the 
shot  did  not  hit  him.  For  every  soldier  that  the  guard  shot  for 
for  stepping  across  the  dead  line,  he  was  to  receive  twenty  days' 
furlough.  This  is  as  we  got  it  from  their  own  lips. 

There  is  one   important  event  that  transpired  in  prison  that  I 
had  forgotten  to  chronicle.     While  the  stockade  was  so  full,  there 


173  [1864 

was  a  desperate  set  of  scoundrels  and  blacklegs  ready  to  pounce 
upon  anyone  that  had  any  valuables  about  him.  So  bold  did 
they  become  that  murders  were  committed  in  broad  daylight,  and 
one  man  was  known  to  murder  even  his  own  brother, although  he  did 
not  know  it  at  the  time.  A  vigilance  committee  of  our  own  men 
was  formed.  Six  of  the  ringleaders  were  arrested,  tried  by  an 
impromptu  court  martial,  condemned  and  hung  on  the  spot. 
This  wholesome  proceeding  had  a  good  effect  and  effectually 
crushed  the  gang.  We  had  a  police  force  of  one  hundred  men 
whose  duty  it  was  to  see  that  the  camp  was  kept  quiet  and  clean. 
Had  a  touch  of  the  ague  to-day.  The  accommodation  for  the  sick 
is  a  little  more  humane  than  heretofore.  A  shed  has  been  erected 
for  their  accommodation.  A  good  portion  of  the  prisoners  belong 
to  the  Army  of  the  Potomac. 

October  21st. 

We  are  still  blessed  with  pleasant  weather.  Do  not  feel  well 
to-day.  Drew  rations  of  beans  last  evening  and  one  teaspoonful 
of  salt  to  each  man,  the  first  we  have  drawn.  My  stomach 
rejects  the  beans.  They  are  so  foul.  We  still  have  a  little  money 
and  can  buy  what  is  necessary  for  our  subsistence.  If  it  were  not 
for  this,  we  would  starve.  Are  not  doing  much  on  our  quarters 
to-day.  Have  it  all  completed  except  the  roof  and  chimney. 
Rollin  and  Milton  have  gone  now  to  get  some  straw  to  thatch  it 
with.  The  report  is  that  Richmond  is  taken,  but  we  cannot  put 
much  credit  in  it. 

October  22d. 

Pleasant.  Everything  quiet.  A  poor  soldier  ended  his  suffer- 
ings this  evening  within  a  few  feet  of  us.  The  nights  are  quite 
cool  and  it  causes  untold  suffering  amongst  the  poorly  clad  soldiers 
who  are  without  blankets,  shoes  or  coats  and  some  without  any 
shelter. 

October  23d. 

Had  a  very  poor  night.  The  coldest  we  have  had,  but  it  is  a 
very  fine  morning.  In  the  past  few  days,  quite  a  number  of 
soldiers  have  been  brought  back  who  tried  to  effect  their  escape. 
Some  nearly  reached  our  lines  before  being  caught.  One  man  in 
particular,  by  the  name  of  Davis,  of  the  4th  Iowa  infantry,  lived 
three  weeks  in  a  cave  near  the  rebel  army  and  within  three  miles 
of  our  lines.  He  was  well-fed  and  otherwise  provided  for  by 
negroes.  This  man  used  to  live  in  Coral  and  worked  for  Mr. 


1861]  174 

Bartholemew.  Drew  beans  last  night  and  rice  the  night  before. 
We  buy  a  ration  of  rice,  corn  bread  and  some  meal  daily.  We 
have  made  some  beer  of  corn  meal  and  molasses  to  keep  off  the 
scurvj7.  Its  effects  are  very  beneficial.  We  are  getting  along 
very  slowly  in  completing  our  quarters.  Milt  baked  some  corn 
bread  for  dinner  which  was  very  good. 

October  -24th. 

Pleasant  day.  Very  cold  night.  Drew  rice  last  evening  and 
one  pint  of  molasses  to  a  man  The  rice  was  very  poorly  cooked. 
We  had  to  cook  it  over  again  before  we  could  eat  it.  Have  not 
done  anything  on  our  shanty  to-day.  Could  not  get  out  to  get 
material. 

October  25th. 

Pleasant.  Commenced  putting  on  a  mud  roof  to-day.  We 
cannot  get  out  to  get  any  more  straw.  Captain  Wirz  has  pro- 
hibited any  more  prisoners  going  out  on  account  of  so  many 
trying  to  escape,  and  for  trading  with  the  guard.  Drew  beans 
last  night. 

October  26th. 

Cloudy  and  prospect  of  rain.  Am  not  doing  much  to-day. 
Drew  rice  last  evening.  One  man  went  to  hospital  to-day  from 
our  mess. 

October  27th. 

The  morning  set  in  rainy.  During  the  afternoon  it  rained 
very  hard,  completely  destroying  our  mud  roof, which  proves  to  be 
a  complete  failure.  Toward  evening,  it  cleared  off  and  was  quite 
pleasant.  Drew  beans  last  evening.  Only  two  deaths  during  the 
day.  Some  of  our  regiment  have  tried  to  escape  within  the  past 
few  days  but  all  were  caught  and  brought  back.  We  have  been 
talking  of  trying  it  but  the  ill  success  of  the  others  discourages  us. 
Caught  a  severe  cold  yesterday.  Feel  some  better  to-day.  Prison 
fare  is  gradually  reducing  my  strength.  I  am  getting  to  be  quite 
weak. 

October  28th. 

Pleasant  and  cool.  Considerable  talk  of  our  being  sent  to 
another  prison  at  Millen,  twenty  miles  from  Savannah.  Drew- 
rice  last  evening.  Bought  four  quarts  of  sweet  potatoes  to-day 
for  five  dollars  confederate  scrip.  Also  bought  two  quarts  of  meal 
this  evening  for  two  dollars.  It  takes  ten  dollars  confederate 
money  as  an  equivalent  for  one  dollar  in  greenbacks. 


175  [1st  14 

October  29th. 

A  little  cloudy  this  morning.  Market  street  is  unusually 
active  this  morning.  Notice  several  articles  for  sale  that  I  have 
not  seen  before,  such  as  pies,  radishes,  apples,  etc.  The  price 
of  pies  is  one  dollar  and  a  half  in  United  States  money.  Drew 
rice  last  evening.  Washed  shirt  and  socks  this  afternoon. 

Sunday,  October  30th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  Six  prisoners  came  in  last  evening, 
captured  near  Atlanta  while  out  foraging.  They  report  the 
capture  of  Petersburg  and  that  Sherman  was  whipping  Hood 
badly.  Trains  were  expected  through  from  Nashville  the  day 
they  were  captured.  Only  two  deaths  occurred  in  the  hospital 
yesterday. 

October  31st. 

Cloudy  and  prospective  rain.  The  1st  and  2d  detachment  and 
two  hundred  of  the  third  left  this  morning.  We  suppose  that 
they  are  going  to  Millen,  Georgia,  whither  we  expect  to  go  as 
soon  as  transportation  arrives.  The  reason  for  removing  us,  we  are 
told,  is  for  the  purpose  of  repairing  the  stockade  and  putting  up 
barracks  for  winter  quarters.  We  may  come  back  again.  Three 
or  four  hundred  carpenters  remain  on  parole  to  work  on  barracks. 
This  is  a  good  place  for  a  prison  if  it  was  properly  laid  out  and 
accommodations  made  for  the  prisoners. 

November  1st. 

Weather  still  continues  cloudy  and  cool.  I  made  my  first 
visit  to  the  hospital  to-day.  Found  it  nearly  deserted.  They  are 
removing  all  the  sick  to  the  hospital  outside  of  the  stockade.  All 
that  are  able,  return  to  their  respective  detachments.  I  think  it 
is  evident  that  they  intend  to  clear  the  camp  entirely  of  prisoners. 
There  remain  here  now  besides  the  sick,  four  detachments,  five 
hundred  men  in  each,  and  two  hundred  in  the  fifth  detachment. 

November  2d. 

Morning  rainy  and  cold.  Riined  very  hard  during  the  night 
and  our  mud  walls  caved  in  completely,  soaking  our  blankets  with 
mud  and  water.  We  passed  a  rough  night.  For  the  past  few 
days  our  rations  have  been  cut  down  a  little. 

November  3d. 

Rained  all  night  and  still  continues  raining.  Two  detachments 
left  last  evening.  We  have  orders  to  be  ready  to  leave  this  even- 
ing at  ten  o'clock. 


1864-J  176 

November  4th. 

Very  cold  and  cloudy.  Rained  a  little  during  the  night.  Our 
rations  were  very  scant  last  evening.  It  is  impossible  to  keep 
warm  to-day  unless  bundled  up  in  clothes  or  huddled  around  a 
warm  fire. 

November  5th. 

Another  day  has  passed  and  we  still  remain  in  this  miserable 
pen,  and  get  rations  barely  sufficient  to  sustain  life.  One  year  ago 
this  evening,  after  nearly  three  years'  absence,  1  crossed  the  thres- 
hold of  home.  Friends  and  plenty  there  surrounded  me.  How 
great  the  contrast  now  !  A  prisoner  of  war,  penned  up  in  a  loath- 
some prison,  and  would  gladly  grasp  for  the  food  thrown  to  the 
dogs;  but  it  is  the  fate  of  war  and  I  submit  without  murmuring. 

Sunday,  November  6th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  No  prospect  of  moving  to-day.  Drew 
full  rations  of  rice  and  molasses  but  only  three-fourths  rations  of 
corn  bread. 

November  7th. 

Cloudy  and  warm.  We  expect  to  move  before  to-morrow 
morning.  Several  of  our  boys  scaled  the  stockade  by  means  of 
ladders  while  the  guard  was  warming  by  the  fire  and  tried  to 
escape,  but  the  hounds  were  put  upon  their  track  at  daylight  and 
most  of  them  have  been  brought  back.  Did  up  some  washing 
to-day. 

November  8th. 

This  day,  fraught  with  so  deep  an  interest  to  every  American 
heart,  dawned  unpleasant  and  rainy.  The  great  issue  to  be  de- 
cided to-day  will  engross  the  whole  attention  of  lovers  of  liberty 
and  free  government  throughout  the  civilized  world.  A  monstrous 
and  wicked  rebellion  has  thrown  its  iron  grasp  upon  the  freest  and 
best  government  that  ever  existed,  and  is  trying  to  plant  upon  its 
ruins  a  government  whose  chief  corner-stone  is  slavery,  totally 
ignoring  that  which  every  true  American  holds  dear,  trampling 
upon  the  sacred  ties  that  should  bind  American  hearts  together  in 
bonds  of  fraternity.  Traitors  still  defiantly  proclaim  their  treason 
and  affect  to  scorn  and  trample  upon  our  emblem  of  national  unity 
as  though  it  were  a  rag  unworthy  the  homage  of  a  loyal  heart. 
To  suppress  this  monster  rebellion,  Abraham  Lincoln,  as  President, 
has  labored  four  year.s,  expending  millions  upon  millions  of  treas- 
ure, sacrificing  thousands  upon  thousands  of  precious  lives  until 


177  [1804 

every  household  is  draped  in  mourning  for  loved  ones  slain;  yet, 
after  all  these  sacrifices  have  been  made,  treason  still  shrieks  defi- 
ance in  our  ears  and  horrid  civil  war  still  throws  its  damp  and 
bloody  chill  over  us.  The  issue  this  day  will  decide  whether 
another  man  will  be  placed  at  the  helm  to  guide  the  ship  of  state. 


Trusting  to  an  overruling  power,  we  anxiously  await  what  the  un- 
born  future  has  in  store  for  us,  hoping  and  praying  that  the  right 
may  triumph,  and  our  nation,  one  and  indivisible,  survive  forever. 
A  vote  was  taken  in  our  detachment.  There  were  two  hundred 
twenty-four  votes  cast.  Lincoln  received  one  hundred  eighty-eight 
and  McClellan  thirty-six.  Over  one-half  of  the  men  did  not  vote. 
Our  rations  still  continue  very  scarce  and  our  prospect  of  moving  is 
gradually  dying  away. 

November  9th. 

Cloudy  and  fleeting.  Rather  warm.  Traded  off  my  scissors 
last  evening  for  one  pound  of  salt.  Traded  for  four  pounds  more 
this  evening  and  gave  five  dollars  in  confederate  money  for  it. 

November  10th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  Washed  a  shirt  this  morning.  At  eleven 
o'clock  we  received  orders  to  get  ready  immediately  and  march  to 
the  depot.  Seventy-eight  were  put  in  one  car,  which  made  it  so 
full  we  could  scarcely  stand  up.  We  remained  in  this  condition 
twenty-four  hours,  but  anything  was  a  relief  to  get  out  of  Ander- 
sonville.  We  were  the  last  to  leave.  We  drew  one  day's  rations. 
During  the  night  several  of  the  boys  jumped  off  the  train  and  tried 
to  escape.  Only  one  succeeded. 

November  llth. 

We  arrived  at  Macon  at  9  o'clock  p.  M.  and  stayed  until  4 
o'clock  A.  M.  Father  is  fifty-seven  years  old  to-day. 

November  12th. 

Arrived  at  our  new  prison,  five  miles  from  Millen,  at  3  p.  M. 
Here  we  found  the  boys  of  our  regiment  who  were  captured  a  few 
days  before-  we  were.  They  were  Houston,  Lowell,  Irvin  and 
Shaffer.  They  had  had  hard  usage  and  were  looking  thin,  but 
had  been  in  good  health  most  of  the  time.  We  were  glad  to  meet 
them  again,  even  though  it  were  under  such  painful  circumstances. 
Our  camp  here  is  much  more  pleasant  than  it  was  at  Andersonville 
or  Sumter.  It  consists  of  an  inclosure  of  about  forty  acres,  sur- 
rounded by  a  single  line  of  stockades.  A  splendid  stream  of  pure 
water  runs  through  the  center.  The  ground  is  well  adapted  for  a 


1864]  178 

camp.  It  gently  slopes  gently  from  the  east  and  west  toward  the 
stream.  Below,  at  one  side  of  the  stockade,  a  privy  is  built  over 
the  stream,  and  all  filth  is  thus  carried  away.  At  the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  stream  we  get  water  for  cooking  purposes,  and  a  little 
below  we  do  our  washing.  There  are  at  present  nine  thousand 
prisoners  here,  all  camped  on  the  west  side  of  the  stream.  They 
are  divided  into  divisions  of  one  thousand  men  each.  Each  divis- 
ion is  divided  into  detachments  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  men. 
Each  detachment  is  divided  into  messes,  two  of  one  hundred  men 
each  and  one  of  fifty.  Then  these  messes  are  divided  to  suit  the 
taste  of  the  soldiers.  A  rebel  sergeant  has  charge  of  the  division 
and  one  of  our  own  sergeants  charge  of  detachments,  messes,  etc., 
and  draws  his  rations  from  division  sergeant.  Our  rations  to-day 
consist  of  beef,  rice,  beans  and  meal.  We  get  double  the  amount 
of  beef  that  we  did  at  Gimp  Sumter,  and  of  a  great  deal  better 
quality.  Our  rations  are  drawn  uncooked.  We  get  one  pint  of 
meal  to  a  man,  which  is  sufficient  to  sustain  life.  We  are  both- 
ered some  for  wood  to  cook  with,  but  by  digging  up  roots  of 
stumps  we  manage  to  get  along.  We  expect  to  be  allowed  after 
awhile  to  go  out  and  bring  in  wood.  This  camp  is  named  Law- 
ton.  An  exchange  of  sick  and  wounded  is  going  on  now,  and 
there  is  a  prospect  of  a  general  exchange  soon.  Was  on  Market 
street  to-day.  Noticed  that  they  sold  thing  a  great  deal  higher 
than  at  Camp  Sumter.  Some  of  the  rebel  officials  are  in  league 
with  the  sutler,  and  charge  outrageously  for  everything. 

November  13th.     Sunday. 

Pleasant  day.  Very  cool  night.  Passed  the  day  in  looking 
around  camp. 

November  14th. 

Pleasant.  Suffered  with  cold  last  night.  Have  had  no  chance 
yet  to  put  up  a  shelter  or  bring  in  wood.  We  have  drawn  no 
rations  to-d  ly,  and  the  pangs  of  hunger  are  sharpening  our  appe- 
tites to  the  keenest  point. 

November  15th. 

We  were  aroused  before  sunrise  and  ordered  to  move  over  to 
the  other  side  of  the  camp.  Nearly  one  thousand  sick  and 
wounded  leave  here  to-day  for  Savannah  to  be  exchanged.  We 
drew  rations  of  sweet  potatoes.  Prisoners  captured  at  Richmond 
one  week  ago  report  the  capture  of  that  place  by  Gen.  Grant. 
Prisoners  captured  near  Sherman's  line  within  a  few  days  report 


179  [1864 

that  three  of  his  army  corps  have  returned  to  Atlanta  preparatory 
to  a  forward  move  to  the  Gulf,  and  left  Gen.  Thomas  with  forty 
thousand  fresh  troops  to  watch  and  take  care  of  Hood. 

November  16th. 

Removed  back  to  our  former  camp  last  evening.  The  report 
is  that  we  will  be  exchanged  soon.  Drew  sweet  potatoes  again 
to  day.  Removed  across  the  stream  again  this  morning.  Two 
car-loads  of  sick  arrived  last  night  from  Andersonville.  We  have 
not  had  a  chance  to  go  out  since  we  came  in  here,  and  we  are 
greatly  bothered  to  get  wood  to  cook  our  rations.  The  sutlers  ask 
such  an  enormous  price  for  their  articles  that  we  cannot  buy. 

November  17th. 

The  night  was  warmer  than  any  night  for  a  week  past.  The 
day  has  been  pleasant  and  warm.  Several  car-loads  of  paroled 
rebel  prisoners  have  passed  through  this  place  within  a  few  days. 
Twenty-five  hundred  are  reported  to  leave  this  camp  to-morrow — 
mostly  sick  and  wounded.  Drew  meal,  rice,  beef  and  salt  this 
evening.  Meal  sells  at  ten  cents  a  pint,  rice  sixty  cents  a  quart, 
salt  five  cents  a  teaspoonful,  sweet  potatoes  twenty  dollars  per 
bushel.  Went  out  to-day  for  the  first  time  for  wood.  Roll  and 
Alex  went  with  me.  Only  thirty  can  go  out  at  a  time.  Forty 
squads  go  out  in  a  day.  If  one  man  fails  to  come  back  with  the 
rest,  the  division  to  which  he  belongs  does  not  go  out  again  until 
he  is  brought  back.  A  Dutch  captain  by  the  name  of  D.  C. 
Vowles  commands  the  prison.  He  is  a  harsh  commander.  The 
mortality  of  the  camp  averages  about  ten  per  day.  My  health 
continues  good,  though  I  am  conscious  of  growing  weakness. 

November  18th. 

The  sick  continue  to  leave  daily.  About  three  thousand  have 
left.  By  paying  the  doctor  a  good  sum,  from  twenty  to  fifty  dol- 
lars in  greenbacks,  he  will  put  a  person  on  the  sick  list,  and  thus 
they  will  get  out  of  prison.  Those  who  are  fortunate  enough  to 
have  money  and  who  are  disposed  to  use  it  in  this  manner,  succeed 
in  getting  out,  and  many  of  the  sick  are  actually  crowded  out  to 
give  place  to  those  who  have  bought  their  freedom.  The  doctors 
are  making  quite  a  speculating  game  out  of  it. 

November  19th. 

Rained  last  night.  We  put  up  our  rubbers  for  shelter.  Drew 
one-half  ration  of  meal  last  night.  Weather  still  continues  cloudy. 
A  load  of  beef  heads  was  drawn  into  camp  last  night  and  the  men 


1864]  180 

eagerly  secured  them,  although  they  smelled  so  strong  that  they 
would  have  turned  our  stomachs  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
Soup  was  made  of  them.  Rice,  bean  soup,  biscuits,  pies  and  corn 
dodgers  were  made  and  sold  on  Market  Street  at  exorbitant 
prices.  Alex  sold  his  watch  for  twenty  dollars  in  greenbacks  and 
so  we  still  had  a  little  money  to  use  in  case  of  emergencies. 
Tommy  Houston  now  bunks  with  us. 

November  20th. 

Cloudy  and  chilly.  All  the  sick  have  been  removed.  Just 
before  dark  this  evening,  very  unexpectedly  to  me,  Rollin's  name 
and  mine  were  called,  with  orders  to  get  ready  to  march  immedi- 
ately. Roll  afterward  told  me  how  it  happened.  There  had  been 
a  special  call  for  two  hundred  fifty  men  to  fill  out  the  one  thou- 
sand. Rollin  saw  the  lieutenant,  and  he,  recognizing  him  as  a 
member  of  our  fraternity,  succeeded  in  getting  his  name  on  and 
vouched  for  me.  He  also  tried  to  get  Milton  on.  The  lieutenant 
could,  not  do  it,  but  told  Rollin  that  in  less  than  one  week  all 
would  leave  and  be  exchanged,  and  so,  under  these  circumstances, 
we  parted  in  good  spirits  with  our  comrades.  Milton  followed  us 
down  to  the  bridge  and  stood  until  our  names  were  called  and  we 
passed  out.  A  sergeant  Reed's  name  of  our  company  was  called  and 
he  was  not  there  to  answer  to  it.  Milton  was  strongly  tempted  to 
answer  to  it  and  pass  out  with  us,  but  fear  of  detection  restrained 
him.  Besides,  he  expected  to  get  out  soon,  anyway.  Poor  boy! 
Better  would  it  have  been  for  him  had  he  acted  upon  the  impulse  of 
the  moment  and  gone  with  us!  Then  he  might  have  been  spared  the 
horrid  fate  that  happened  to  him!  We  passed  out  of  the  stockade 
up  to  headquarters,  where  we  were  paroled.  No  guard  now 
dogged  our  footsteps.  We  were  free.  The  earth,  the  air,  the 
very  ground  we  trod  on,  seemed  to  echo  our  souFs  deep  gratitude. 
Never  had  the  soul-stirring  word  freedom  appeared  to  us  in  such 
beautiful  relief  as  at  this  moment.  Those  of  you  who  have  ever 
passed  weary,  miserable  days  in  prison  can  imagine  our  emotion 
as  we  shook  the  dust  of  prison  from  our  feet  and  once  more  trod 
the  earth,  free  men.  It  only  wanted  our  restoration  to  home  and 
friends  to  make  our  joy  complete,  sive  the  saddening  thought  that 
our  country  was  still  in  peril  and  our  comrades  still  suffering  in 
prison. 

November  21st. 

We  took  the  cars  the  same  evening  for  Savannah.     Arrived 


181  [1864 

there  at  break  of  clay.  It  is  a  splendid  looking  city  on  rather  low 
ground.  The  city  troops  took  us  in  charge  and  marched  us  to  the 
river  where  we  were  to  embark  and  proceed  to  our  fleet  near  Fort 
Pulaski,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Savannah  river.  A  strong  Union  senti- 
ment prevailed  at  Savannah  and  the  Union  people  would  have  fed 
us  had  they  been  allowed  to.  We  did  not  start  with  any  rations, 
but  Rollin  and  I  managed  to  get  hold  of  an  ear  of  corn  and  we 
made  this  answer  for  food  until  we  arrived  at  the  fleet.  While  we 
were  passing  through  the  city,  a  person  dressed  in  the  garb  of  a 
federal  soldier  was  seen  to  quickly  take  his  place  in  our  line.  The 
guard  supposing  him  to  be  one  of  us,  did  not  take  much  notice  of 
it,  but  it  was  a  Union  citizen  of  Savannah  who  adopted  this 
method  of  escaping  from  the  clutches  of  his  enemies.  It  was  rain- 
ing quite  hard  all  this  time  and  we  got  drenched  to  the  skin.  The 
day  being  quite  chilly,  we  suffered  not  a  little.  Finally  the  rebel 
transport  "Beauregard"  loosed  its  moorings,  stemmed  out  into 
the  stream  and  headed  for  our  fleet.  As  we  passed  Ft.  Jackson, 
we  noticed  how  effectually  the  river  was  blockaded.  It  was  impos- 
sible for  a  boat  to  pass  the  obstructions  unless  under  the  guidance 
of  a  skillful  pilot,  acquainted  with  the  channel.  About  one  o'clock 
p.  M.  we  hove  in  sight  of  our  fleet.  I  never  saw  a  sight  which 
awoke  more  ennobling  feelings  of  pride  and  devotion  in  my  bosom 
than  when  I  again  beheld  our  noble  ensign  floating  over  our 
gallant  ships  which  were  soon  to  bear  us  back  again  to  home  and 
friends.  Eyes  that  had  long  be  strained  to  catch  glimpses  of  the 
dear  old  flag,  now  grew  misty  with  tears.  Yes,  soldiers  who  had 
faced  death  time  and  again  with  unfailing  eye,  now  wept  like 
children  before  that  flag  that  bad  so  often  guided  them  on  to 
victory.  At  three  o'clock  p.  M.  we  embarked  on  board  one  of  our 
ships  and  passed  entirely  out  of  rebel  hands.  We  had  been  in  their 
power  forty-seven  days. 

November  22d. 

Disembarked  from  the  "Star  of  the  South"  and  embarked  on 
board  the  "Sedgwick."  At  four  p.  M.  we  weighed  anchor  and  set 
sail  for  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  There  being  a  strong  wind  favoring 
us,  we  were  soon  wafted  on  the  bosom  of  the  broad  ocean.  When 
fairly  out  at  sea,  the  wind  increased  to  a  strong  gale.  The  ship 
rolled  and  tossed  on  waves  mountain  high  and  we  all  experienced 
that  very  disagreeable  feeling  of  seasickness.  Our  long  fasting 
and  impure  food  that  we  had  received  in  rebel  prisons  and  our 


1864]  182 

overtaxed  stomachs  which  we  filled  after  getting  on  board  our  fleet, 
made  us  remarkably  tine  subjects  for  seasickness.  Soon  there  was 
not  one  but  what  was  heaving  up  "Jonah,"  and  that,  with  the  gale, 
made  a  scene  of  great  confusion.  At  times,  the  boat  would  give  a 
sudden  lurch  on  its  side  and  scores  of  us  would  be  precipitated  on 
all  fours  to  the  other  side  of  the  boat.  We  did  not  care  much 
whether  the  boat  sunk  or  not,  but  despite  our  distress,  we  could 
not  repress  our  laughter  at  the  ludicrousness  of  our  situation.  I 
attempted  to  crawl  out  on  deck  and  relieve  myself.  I  went  on  all 
fours,  and  just  as  I  stuck  my  head  out  of  doors,  a  gust  of  wind 
took  my  hat  off.  The  next  morning  when  I  got  out,  I  found  it 
filled  with  the  essence  of  seasickness.  I  gave  it  a  toss  overboard 
and  my  unlucky  hat  found  a  watery  bed. 

November  23d. 

The  gale  continued  to  blow  all  night.  I  passed  a  rough  night 
of  it.  Rollin  was  also  in  the  same  condition.  The  ship  continued 
on  in  a  northerly  course.  Toward  night  the  sea  became  more 
calm  and  we  began  to  recover  from  our  sickness.  Our  rations 
were  furnished  us  cooked  and  we  got  plenty  of  them. 

November  24th. 

The  morning  dawned  pleasant.     Passed  a  comfortable  night. 
*  Sea  quite  calm.     Rounded  Cape  Hatteras  during  the  night.     The 
ship  now  changed  its  course  to  a  northwesterly  direction. 

November  25th. 

Smooth  sea  and  fine  sailing.  Drew  boiled  ham  for  breakfast. 
Had  a  splendid  soup  for  supper,  made  of  onions,  tomatoes,  boiled 
with  crackers  and  ham.  Saw  a  drove  of  porpoises  following  the 
ship.  They  follow  in  a  regular  line  extending  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach.  Entered  the  Chesapeake  about  eight  o'clock  A.  M. 

November  26th. 

The  ship  anchored  about  midnight  in  the  harbor  of  Annapolis. 
We  disembarked  at  early  dawn  and  marched  to  the  barracks  out- 
side the  city.  It  seemed  pleasant  to  again  to  get  into  God's  country 
under  the  protection  of  the  stars  and  stripes.  Every  one  seemed 
to  vie  with  the  others  in  treating  us  kindly.  In  the  evening,  we 
drew  a  complete  suit  of  clothing,  but  before  changing  we  were 
required  to  divest  ourselves  of  every  article  of  prison  apparel,  go 
into  a  bath  room,  prepared  expressly  for  us,  and  thoroughly 
cleanse  ourselves  We  were  also  obliged  to  leave  our  prison 
apparel,  but  we  did  not  care  for  that.  Our  new  suit  was  furnished 


183  [1864 

us  free  gratis.  Our  boys  practiced  a  little  deception  now,  which, 
under  the  circumstances,  I  think  was  justifiable.  Those  of  our 
regiment  who  had  not  been  captured,  were  now  mounted  and  were 
bodyguard  to  General  Smith,  and  as  we  desired  a  cavalry  suit,  we 
gave  in  our  reginlent  as  mounted  infantry.  After  our  change  our 
transformation  was  complete.  We  looked  like  a  different  set  of 
beings.  1  do  not  consider  Annapolis  a  very  nice  looking  city. 
The  State  house  stands  in  the  center  on  quite  a  rise  of  ground  and 
all  the  principal  streets  center  there,  but  the  city  will  ever  be 
noted  for  its  historic  associations.  The  building  still  remains  in 
which  General  Washington  resigned  his  commission  to  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  as  commander-in-chief  of  the  American  army. 
The  venerable  oak  tree  still  stands  under  which  he  planned  the 
siege  of  Yorktown  which  resulted  in  the  capture  of  the  English 
under  Lord  Cornvvallis.  I  cannot  look  on  these  relics  of  ''the  time 
that  tried  men's  souls''  without  feeling  a  deeper  reverence  for  my 
country,  a  firmer  resolve  to  consecrate  my  feeble  energies  to  retain 
inviolate  those  precious  boons  of  liberty  and  union  which  they  be- 
queathed to  us. 

Sunday,  November  27th. 

Arose  early,  after  a  good  night's  rest.  Ate  breakfast  and  then 
marched  to  the  parole  camp,  three  miles  south  of  the  city.  It  was 
a  splendid  camp,  well  and  tastefully  arranged,  laid  out  in  regular 
streets,  excellent  barracks,  warm'  and  well  ventilated,  with  cook 
houses,  etc.  The  sanitary  commission  had  an  office  on  the  ground 
and  it  proved  a  friend  to  the  soldier  in  time  of  need.  Another 
boat-load  of  prisoners  came  in  this  morning. 

November  28th. 

Passed  my  first  night  in  a  parole  camp  and  it  proved  pleasant 
and  agreeable.  Arose  early,  answered  to  roll-call  and  then  took 
breakfast,  which  consisted  of  soft  bread,  boiled  bacon  or  beef  and 
coffee.  For  dinner,  we  had  bread  and  bean  soup.  The  sanitary 
commission  has  been  busy  all  day  distributing  needful  articles 
amongst  the  prisoners,  such  as  thread,  paper,  envelopes,  combs, 
etc.  A  large  sutler's  stand  is  also  on  the  ground.  A  large  wash- 
house  is  near  by  which  contains  fifty  tubs  and  other  accommoda- 
tions for  washing  clothes.  The  whole  camp  presents  a  neat  and 
wholesome  appearance,  the  streets  being  wide  and  kept  perfectly 
clean.  This  camp  will  accommodate  ten  thousand  soldiers,  with 
good  hospitals  for  the  sick.  An  order  was  read  to  us  to-day  that 


1864]  184 

all  paroled  prisoners  would  receive  thirty  days'  furlough  and  two 
months'  pay  as  soon  as  the  proper  papers  could  be  made  out.  The 
glorious  news  from  Sherman  fills  every  heart  with  joy. 

November  29th. 

The  last  of  the  paroled  prisoners  have  arrived.  We  were 
mustered  to-day  for  two  months'  pay.  Received  orders  to  get 
ready  to  muster  for  commutation  for  rations  while  prisoners. 

November  30th. 
Mustered  to-day  for  commutation  of  rations. 

December  1st. 

Received  two  months'  pay  this  afternoon,  thirty -six  dollars. 
The  officers  of  this  camp  labor  day  and  night  to  get  the  soldiers' 
papers  straightened  out. 

December  2d. 

Made  some  purchases  at  the  sutler's  stand,  including  satchel, 
and  foolscap  paper  stamped  with  a  picture  of  the  parole  camp. 

December  3d. 

To-da}''s  paper  reports  a  hard-fought  battle  between  Gen. 
Thomas'  and  Hood's  forces.  Union  troops  victorious. 

Sunday,  December  4th. 

My  furlough  was  made  out  to-day.  I  am  to  report  to  Camp 
Chase,  Columbus,  Ohio,  at  its  expiration.  Will  start  for  home 
to-morrow.  I  have  not  yet  informed  my  folks  of  my  release  from 
prison.  I  intend  to  surprise  them  and  rise  up  before  them  like  one 
arisen  from  the  dead. 

December  5th. 
Will  not  leave  to-day.     Am  growing  somewhat  restless. 

December  6th. 

Left  camp  at  three  p.  M.  Received  our  transportations  and 
furloughs  at  Annapolis  and  embarked  for  Baltimore  at  six-fifty  p.  M. 
Arrived  at  the  above  named  place  per  steamer  at  ten  p.  M.  No 
trains  will  leave  to-night.  Put  up  at  the  Susquehanna  House. 

December  Tth. 

Started  this  morning  at  ten  o'clock  via  the  Harrisburg  and 
Pennsylvania  railroad.  Harrisburg  is  a  splendid  looking  place. 

December  8th. 

Passed  through  Pittsburgh.  Got  our  vouchers  for  commuta- 
tion of  rations,  while  prisoners,  cashed  here  at  thirty-one  cents  per 
day. 


185  [1861 

December  9th. 
Took  the  Pittsburgh,  Ft.  Wayne  and  Chicago  railroad. 

December  10th. 

Arrived  at  Chicago  at  ten  A.  M.  Our  pulses  glow  with  a  new 
life  to  be  once  more  in  our  own  loved  land.  We  here  found  our 
names  reported  in  the  papers  as  paroled  prisoners  and  were  afraid 
that  our  folks  had  found  out  that  we  would  soon  be  at  home. 
Took  the  twelve  o'clock  train  and  arrived  at  Marengo  at  three  P.  M. 
I  saw  uncle  Almon  first,  and  he  had  to  take  the  second  look  before 
he  could  make  up  his  mind  that  it  was  I.  I  gave  a  hurried  call  at 
Levi's  and  uncle  Lorenzo's  and  then  in  company  with  uncle  Almon, 
started  for  Riley.  I  now  learned  with  deep  regret  that  Manda  and 
Ann  had  gone  to  Pennsylvania,  and  with  pleasure  that  Cinda  was 
married.  We  had  hoped  to  be  home  in  season  to  witness  that  in- 
teresting ceremony.  It  was  dusk  or  deep  twilight  when  uncle 
Almon  drove  rapidly  up  to  the  house.  All  were  gone  except 
father.  He  was  out  doing  the  chores  when  I  went  up  and  spoke 
to  him.  He  looked  at  me  as  though  a  vision  were  passing  before 
him.  When  the  truth  flashed  upon  him,  he  was  nearly  overcome. 
Nivvie  was  down  at  Batavia  with  Libbie.  Mother,  Rose  and 
Amory  were  up  to  uncle  Frank's.  Being  somewhat  hungry,  I  was 
not  long  in  finding  the  old,  familiar  cupboard,  and  when  mother, 
Rose  and  Amory  returned,  they  found  me  coolly  devouring  the 
remnant  of  a  chicken  pie.  When  mother  saw  me,  she  exclaimed 
"Oh,  my  God,  here  is  Lucius!  "  Rose  tried  hard  to  keep  from 
crying  and  appear  unconcerned,  but  the  boo-hoos  had  to  come  out. 
Amory,  quiet  and  dignified  as  a  prince,  came  forward.  Let  and 
Mary,  Cinda  and  Will  and  Rollin  came  over  the  next  day.  I  will 
pass  briefly  over  my  visit  home,  but  soon,  very  soon,  the  time 
came  for  me  to  again  launch  forth  on  the  troubled  sea  of  civil 
strife. 

January  5th,  1865. 

The  time  of  my  furlough  having  expired,  I  bade  adieu  to  kin- 
dred and  friends  and  again  started  for  the  seat  of  war.  The  change 
from  prison  life  to  the  magic  influence  of  home  operated  like  a 
charm  upon  my  physical  being  and  I  left  with  renewed  trust  in  the 
God  of  Armies  that  our  country  would  be  preserved  from  ruin  and 
the  blessing  of  a  hallowed  peace  would  soon  fold  her  wings 
over  us. 

12 


18C5]  186 

January  6th. 

Arrived  at  Chicago  yesterday.  Visited  the  museum  in  the 
forenoon  and  left  for  Columbus,  via  Crestline,  at  five  p.  M. 

January  7th. 

Arrived  at  Crestline  at  six  o'clock  A.  M.  Waited  until  after- 
noon before  starting  for  Columbus.  Ai rived  at  the  latter  place  at 
fifty  minutes  past  two  p.  M.  Reported  at  headquarters  at  Camp  Chase 
and  found  out,  much  to  our  surprise,  that  we  had  been  exchanged 
and  would  be  sent  forward  to  our  command  on  Monday.  This  was 
a  keen  disappointment  to  me  f.or  I  had  confidently  hoped  to  be 
able  to  visit  Manda  before  I  left  for  the  seat  of  war,  but  now  it 
was  impossible.  It  was  reported  that  our  battalion,  or  those  few 
that  had  escaped  being  prisoners,  was  doing  duty  as  Gen.  Thomas' 
body-guard.  Our  barracks  here  were  cold  and  comfortless  and 
poorly  provided  with  the  necessary  accommodations  for  soldiers. 
The  snow  lay  over  one  foot  deep  on  the  ground. 

January  8th. 

Passed  the  day  principally  in  writing  letters.  The  weather  is 
quite  cold.  Over  seven  thousand  rebel  prisoners  are  confined  here 
and  they  are  well  and  clothed.  We  were  transferred  to  Tod  barracks 
this  morning  and  are  now  awaiting  transportation  to  Nashville. 

January  9th. 

Left  for  Cincinnati  at  nine  o'clock  last  evening.  Arrived  there 
at  four  A.  M.  next  day. 

January  10th. 

We  marched  to  Kelton  barracks  to  await  further  orders.  This 
is  a  dirty  and  disagreeable  place.  The  lower  story  is  used  as  a 
prison  in  which  to  keep  bounty  jumpers  and  deserters.  The  upper 
story  is  used  to  receive  recruits,  convalescents,  exchanged  soldiers 
and  f  urloughed  men  preparatory  to  sending  them  to  their  respect- 
ive commands.  We  were  kept  in  close  confinement  on  account  of 
so  many  trying  to  get  away,  and  to  the  disgrace  of  the  government 
officials,  no  discrimination  was  made  between  men  or  conditions. 
According  to  existing  orders,  we  had  no  business  to  be  detained 
and  treated  in  such  a  manner.  In  Chicago  and  other  cities  in  the 
West,  no  one  pretended  to  dispute  our  right  to  go  and  come  at 
pleasure  while  within  the  limits  of  our  furlough  or  while  we  were 
paroled  prisoners. 

January  llth. 

Stormed  hard  all  day.     Barracks  cold.     Received  orders  this 


1ST  [1S65 

morning  to  be  ready  to  start  for  New  York  City  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  evening.  This  order  surprised  us  much  as  we  were  expecting 
to  go  to  Nashville  all  the  time. 

~ 

January  12th. 

Left  Cincinnati  at  eight  A.  M.  Arrived  at  Columbus  at  four  A.  M. 
Changed  cars  and  left  for  Cleveland.  Arrived  at  the  latter  place 
at  eleven  A.  M.  on  the  same  day. 

January  13th. 

Took  dinner  at  the  Soldiers'  Home  where  everything  was  nice 
and  comfortable,  and  then  took  a  stroll  about  the  city.  Started 
for  Buffalo  at  three  P.  M.  via  Erie  and  Dunkirk,  but  failing  to  make 
connections  with  eastern  bound  trains,  a  special  train  was  ordered 
for  soldiers  at  the  latter  place.  We  took  the  New  York  and  Erie 
railroad  here.  Stopped  at  a  small  place  in  central  New  York  and 
our  squad  had  a  nice  time  on  a  mill  pond  near  by,  where  the  village 
gentry  was  out  enjoying  a  fine  skate.  On  the  same  train  were 
hundreds  of  recruits,  but  they  were  not  permitted  to  step  off  the 
cars.  We,  being  old  soldiers  and  in  a  gang  by  ourselves,  did  just 
as  we  pleased.  A  Lieutenant  was  in  charge  of  us,  but  he  knew 
that  he  could  trust  us. 

January  14th. 

Arrived  at  New  York  City  at  four  A.  M.  Went  to  a  Soldiers' 
Home  and  got  our  breakfast  and  after  awhile  reported  to  head- 
quarters. In  the  afternoon  of  the  same  day,  we  went  over  on 
Governor's  Island  to  Ft.  Columbus  and  Castle  Williams  with  the 
promise  that  we  would  be  immediately  forwarded  to  our  command. 
Had  we  known  the  treatment  we  were  to  receive  there,  we  never 
would  have  gone  over.  The  island  itself  is  beautiful.  Fort  Colum- 
bus is  situated  in  its  center  and  mounts  seventy  guns  of  heavy 
caliber.  Castle  Williams,  to  which  place  we  were  assigned,  is 
situated  on  the  extreme  west  side  of  the  island.  It  is  an  old 
structure  of  solid  masonry,  three  stories  high.  It  was  commenced 
in  1807  and  completed  in  1811.  It  is  built  in  a  circle  and  access 
is  gained  to  the  different  stories  by  means  of  winding  stairs  built 
in  a  turret.  The  entrance  is  secured  by  a  large  gate.  The  lower 
story  is  used  .principally  as  a  store  house  and  in  case  of  necessity, 
twenty-five  or  thirty  guns  can  be  mounted  in  it.  The  second  and 
third  stories  are  divided  into  apartments  connected  with  each  other 
by  arches  large  enough  to  move  a  heavy  gun  through.  In  each 
apartment  is  a  heavy  siege  gun.  I  believe  that  the  Castle  mounted 


1865]  188 

seventy-four  guns.  We  were  assigned  quarters  in  the  second  story 
already  crowded  almost  to  suffocation.  The  upper  story  was  used 
for  rough  cases,  such  as  bounty  jumpers  and  deserters.  For  the 
first  few  days,  we  were  allowed  the  liberty  of  the  island,  but  a 
murder  was  committed  one  night  and  some  of  the  soldiers  were 
suspected  and  all  were  confined  within  the  Castle  after  that. 

January  15th. 

In  our  apartment  were  recruits,  exchanged  prisoners,  f  urloughed 
men  and  rebel  prisoners.  The  latter  received  the  same  rations  and 
in  every  respect  were  treated  with  as  much  consideration  as  our- 
selves. It  was  very  hard  for  us  to  submit  to  all  the  indignities 
heaped  upon  us  here.  Anderson ville  was  still  fresh  in  our  minds 
and  here  were  rebel  prisoners  put  on  an  equality  with  us,  though 
God  knows  our  fare  was  an  insult  even  to  a  prisoner. 

January  16th. 

Very  cold  and  windy.  Heard  to-day  from  the  rest  of  my  com- 
rades in  rebel  prisons  by  an  escaped  prisoner  belonging  to  Com- 
pany D  of  our  regiment.  We  learned  with  deep  regret  that  they 
were  suffering  horribly,  even  worse  than  at  Andersonville.  In- 
stead of  being  paroled  and  sent  home  as  they  had  been  led  to 
believe,  they  were  sent  to  Florida  and  were  kept  moving  from 
place  to  place,  almost  naked  and  nearly  starved. 

January  17th. 

Weather  still  continues  cold.  To-day's  paper  announced  the 
death  of  the  Hon.  Edward  Everett,  the  ripest  scholar,  greatest 
orator,  and  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  nation. 

January  18th. 

The  electric  wires  have  heralded  the  glorious  news  of  the  cap- 
ture of  Fort  Fisher,  twenty-five  hundred  men  and  seventy  pieces 
of  artillery. 

January  19th. 

Very  pleasant.  Weather  moderating.  The  soldiers  of  the 
Potomac  army  left  this  morning.  Blair's  visit  to  Richmond  as  an 
ambassador  for  peace  has  proved  to  be  a  canard. 

January  20th. 
Notning  of  any  interest  transpiring.     Weather  still  quite  cold. 

January  21.st. 

Had  my  satchel  and  everything  in  it  stolen  last  night.  A  thor- 
ough search  proved  futile  to  restore  the  property  or  apprehend  t  he 
thief.  I  feel  the  loss  more  from  the  fact  that  my  valuables  and 


189  [1865 

keepsakes  were  in  it,  such  as  photographs.  The  wretch  that  would 
commit  such  a  theft  is  hardly  fit  to  live. 

January  22d. 

Nothing  of  any  interest  transpiring. 

January  23d. 

It-lined  all  day.  Yesterday  came  the  inhuman  order  to  keep 
us  confined  within  the  Castle,  not  even  letting  us  go  below.  Our 
quarters  now  would  shame  a  hog  pen.  The  treatment  of  good 
soldiers  here  by  those  who  should  be  their  friends  has  no  parallel 
that  1  know  of  in  American  history.  Confined  within  these  loath- 
some walls  are  one  thousand  brave  men,  who  on  many  bloody 
battle-fields  have  attested  their  devotion  to  their  country  by  shed- 
ding their  blood,  or  suffering  in  rebel  prison  pens.  Is  this  a  crime 
for  which  we  merit  this  outrageous  treatment?  Can  this  be  a 
nation's  gratitude  ?  The  patience  of  the  soldiers  is  taxed  to  the 
utmost.  It  needs  but  a  spark  to  ignite  a  flame  which  will  sweep 
over  this  Castle  and  cover  it  with  human  gore.  We  get  only  one- 
fourth  rations  and  those  of  the  poorest  quality.  We  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  the  government  officials  on  this  island  draw 
us  full  rations,  but  appropriate  the  greater  part  to  fill  up  their 
purses.  We  have  our  pork  raw,  and  as  a  consequence  many  have 
the  dysentery.  Our  rooms  are  damp  and  filthy.  The  dirt  is  the 
accumuluation  of  years  and  a  hoe  and  spade  will  not  remove  it.  We 
have  a  coal  stove  for  each  room,  and  the  only  place  the  smoke  has 
for  egress  is  through  the  port  holes  which  are  barely  large  enough 
for  the  cannon  to  protrude.  The  only  light  we  get  is  through 
these  holes.  As  a  consequence,  the  air  becomes  fetid  and  unwhole- 
some. The  walls  are  damp  and  chilly.  Disease  is  fast  laying  its 
icy  chill  on  many  a  sufferer.  We  have  borne  up  all  along  in  hopes 
that  every  day  would  be  our  last  on  the  island,  but  now  for- 
bearance ceased  to  be  a  virtue.  We  determined  to  apply  for  re- 
dregs. 

January  24th. 

Our  condition  seems  to  be  growing  worse.  Weather  quite  cool 
again. 

January  25th. 

A  petition  has  been  sent  to  Gen.  Sherman,  setting  forth  our 
grievances  and  asking  for  relief,  which  we  have  confidence  will 
follow  as  soon  as  it  reaches  him.  A  copy  of  the  petition  was  also 
sent  to  the  New  York  II<-i'<ild  for  publication.  The  language  of 


1865]  190 

the  petition  animadverted  in  the  strongest  terms  upon  the  conduct 
of  the  government  officials  upon  the  island. 

January  26th. 

Very  cold  to-day.  Yesterday  a  wife  came  to  see  her  husband 
who  was  confined  in  the  Castle  with  us.  She  was  denied  the  privi- 
lege of  seeing  him.  She  could  only  approach  as  far  as  the  gate. 
In  his  frenzy  the  outraged  husband  threw  himself  over  the 
banister  and  broke  his  leg. 

January  27th. 

Last  evening  witnessed  the  perpetration  of  an  outrageous  act 
which  came  well  nigh  creating  a  scene  of  great  confusion  and  danger. 
It  was  no  less  than  an  order  for  a  portion  of  the  soldiers  to  vacate 
their  rooms  and  go  out  in  the  cold  so  as  to  give  room  to  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  rebel  prisoners  who  had  arrived  that  evening.  We 
protested,  refused  to  obey  the  order  and  dared  them  to  do  their 
worst.  Afterwards  the  order  was  rescinded  and  quiet  was  re- 
stored. 

January  28th. 
Nothing  unusual  transpiring. 

January  29th. 
Do  not  feel  very  well  to-day. 

January  30th. 

Weather  still  continues  cold.     Harbor  full  of  ice.     The  signs  of 
the  times  indicate  peace  not  far  distant. 

•January  31st. 

We  were  relieved  from  our  long  and  unpleasant  confinement 
this  morning.  Our  petition  had  the  desired  effect.  Two  thousand 
of  Sherman's  men  embarked  on  board  the  Blackstone  and  at  three 
p.  M.  set  sail  for  Hilton  Head,  South  Carolina. 

February  1st. 
Pleasant  and  cold.     Smooth  sailing. 

February  2d. 
Cold.     Rough  sea.     A  good  many  seasick. 

February  3d. 

Weather  warmer.  Stormed  last  night.  Had  a  violent  gale. 
Boat  rocked  terribly  but  gallantly  outrode  the  storm.  Experi- 
enced some  seasickness,  but  not  very  bad. 

February  4th. 

Arrived  at  Hilton  Head  last  evening.  Are  lying  here  awaiting 
further  orders.  The  town,  as  far  as  can  be  seen  from  the  boat, 
seems  to  be  a  small  place  of  four  or  five  thousand  inhabitants. 


191  [1865 

February  5th. 

Left  Hilton  Head  for  Pocotaligo  Landing.  Arrived  in  the 
afternoon.  Some  of  the  15th  boys  left  this  morning  to  guard  a 
provision  train  to  the  front.  The  'corps  is  forty  miles  from  here 
and  on  the  move.  They  had  a  severe  fight  on  the  31st.  Charged 
.the  rebels  through  a  swamp,  water  waist  deep,  and  drove  them 
from  their  fortifications.  Some  of  our  wounded  were  drowned 
while  crossing  the  stream. 

February  6th. 

Divided  off  into  squads  of  eighty  men  in  each.  I  have  charge 
of  one  mess.  We  are  the  only  troops  here  except  a  small  garrison 
of  Foster's  men.  Gen.  Hatch's  command  is  at  Pocotaligo  Station, 
six  miles  from  here. 

February  7th. 

We  have  been  organized  into  a  camp  here.  A  Captain  of  the 
6<>th  Illinois  is  in  command.  It  is  a  general  supposition  that 
Sherman  will  open  a  new  base  and  we  will  have  to  take  the  boat  to 
join  him  by  the  way  of  Hilton  Head  or  Beaufort.  We  have  no 
arms  yet,  and  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to  join  Sherman  from  here  by 
land  except  with  a  well-organized  force  of  several  thousand  troops. 
We  are  very  impatient  to  join  our  command. 

February  8th. 

Rained  all  night  and  the  weather  is  still  unsettled.  One  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  wounded  men  from  our  division  came  in 
to-day  and  were  sent  to  Hilton  Head.  It  is  reported  that  the  rebels 
made  a  dash  into  Savannah  and  captured  eight  hundred  prisoners. 
Our  force  is  augmenting  daily  by  new  recruits,  exchanged 
prisoners,  convalescents  and  furloughed  men.  There  are  now 
several  thousand  here.  We  are  enjoying  rich  feasts  now  on 
oysters.  We  can  gather  them  on  the  beach  when  the  tide  is  out. 
There  are  several  large  beds  of  them  near  by. 

February  9th. 
Cold.     Moved  camp  one  mile  to-day. 

February  10th. 

Cold  and  cloudy.  The  men  belonging  to  the  different  corps 
were  organized  into  companies  to-day,  my  squad  belonging 
to  Company  G,  17th  army  corps.  Six  hundred  more  soldiers 
arrived  to-day.  One  thousand  more  are  expected  this  evening. 
Heard  to-day  that  Sherman  had  taken  Branchville.  South  Carolina, 
and  was  marching  on  Columbia,  the  capital  of  the  State.  Tester- 


1865]  192 

clay  the  quartermaster  of  this  post  was  shot  by  guerrillas  while 
out  a  short  distance  from  camp.  Six  of  our  men  have  been  found 
hung  and  their  bodies  were  outraged  and  mutilated  in  the  most 
shameful  manner.  The  country  is  swarming  with  guerrillas  and 
cut-throats. 

February  llth. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  One  thousand  more  soldiers  came  in  last 
night.  There  are  now  four  thousand  soldiers  here  awaiting  orders 
to  join  Sherman. 

February  12th. 

Warm  and  pleasant.  The  15th  and  17th  corps  have  gone  into 
camp  together,  Lieut. -Col.  Henry  commanding. 

February  13th. 

There  is  a  rumor  that  peace  is  established.  Moved  camp  this 
morning.  Each  division  of  each  corps  has  been  organized  into 
companies. 

February  14th. 

Rainy  and  cold.  Drew  three  days'  rations  to-day.  We  are 
very  poorly  organized  and  some  did  not  draw. 

February  15th. 

Cloudy  and  warm.  Afternoon  pleasant.  Drew  arms  and 
accoutrements  to-day.  Are  ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  in 
the  morning. 

February  16th. 

Morning  murky  and  damp.  Afternoon  pleasant.  Had  a 
difficulty  with  the  Captain  and  orderly  sergeant  of  our  company  on 
account  of  rations.  They  attempted  to  cheat  my  mess,  boys  of 
the  15th  Illinois,  out  of  two  days'  rations  because  the  orderly  did 
not  wake  me  up  when  he  issued  them.  It  was  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  they  were  issued.  I  sat  up  until  twelve  o'clock 
waiting  for  them  and  then  retired,  supposing  of  course,  that  he 
would  wake  me  up  when  he  issued  them,  but  he  did  not.  A 
stranger  answered  for  my  mess  and  lugged  off  the  rations  and  he 
could  not  be  found.  As  soon  as  I  found  out  how  matters  stood,  I 
applied  to  the  orderly  for  my  rations  and  told  him  that  I  held  him 
responsible,  but  I  could  not  make  anything  out  of  him,  so  I 
applied  to  the  Lieutenant  and  he  said  he  could  do  nothing  about 
it.  I  told  them  I  thought  I  could  find  a  way  to  make  them  do 
something.  So  I  went  up  to  Col.  Henry's  quarters  and  stated  the 
case.  He  sent  down  for  the  Lieutenant  and  orderly  to  come  up 


193  [1865 

there.  Sharp  words  followed,  which  finally  ended  in  Col.  Henry 
ordering  the  Lieutenant  to  furnish  my  mess  with  rations  from  the 
rest  of  the  Company's  rations.  The  Lieutenant  and  orderly  had  a 
spite  against  the  15th  boys  because  we  knew  our  rights  and  main- 
tained them  and  we  stuck  together  when  any  difficulty  arose. 
After  this  occurrence  they  changed  their  tactics  and  treated  us 
very  well.  We  soon  became  his  favorite  men.  After  that  things 
went' on  smoothly.  We  marched  at  daylight.  Arrived  in  camp 
near  Pocotaligo  at  noon.  Had  a  difficult  march.  The  roads  were 
very  muddy  and  we  had  to  carry  all  our  camp  equipage,  such  as 
kettles,  frying  pans,  etc.,  on  our  backs.  It  is  a  poor  country. 
We  relieved  a  battalion  of  colored  troops  stationed  here.  We 
found  very  comfortable  quarters  already  prepared.  There  is  a 
prospect  of  our  remaining  here  son*  time. 

February  16th. 

It  is  quite  warm  and  pleasant  to-day. 

February  17th. 

Very  pleasant  and  warm.  Am  on  guard  to-day  for  the  first 
time  since  my  capture. 

February  18th. 

Pleasant.  Am  not  feeling  very  well.  Have  a  severe  cold. 
Washed  a  shirt  and  pair  of  drawers  this  morning. 

We  are  out  of  rations  but  expect  to  draw  this  evening  or  to- 
morrow. We  are  almost  shut  out  from  communication  with  the 
outside  world.  I  have  not  seen  a  daily  paper  in  a  long  time. 

February  19th. 

Pleasant.  Had  company  inspection  this  morning.  Wrote 
several  letters  to-day.  There  is  a  report  that  Charleston  is  taken. 

February  20th. 

Cloudy  and  prospect  of  rain.     Had  company  drill  to-day. 

February  21st. 

Clear  and  pleasant.     Am  on  picket  to-day. 

February  22d. 

It  is  the  anniversary  of  Washington's  birthday.  May  it  be 
crowned  by  a  glorious  victory  of  loyalty  over  treason.  Heard  this 
morning  of  the  fall  of  Charleston.  We  are  within  hearing  of  the 
heavy  guns  of  the  blockading  fleet  of  Charleston  which  is  about 
sixty  miles  distant.  We  are  now  camped  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  a  country  made  hallowed  and  historic  by  the  deeds  of  the  daring 
Swamp  Fox,  the  gallant  Marion,  and  his  men  of  revolutionary 


1865]  194 

fame.  An  old  revolutionary  fort  is  only  a  short  distance  from  u*. 
I  was  poisoned  last  night  on  picket  by  drinking  swamp  water  filled 
with  pine  boughs.  Was  very  sick  all  night  but  am  feeling  con- 
siderably better  to-day. 

February  23d. 

Rainy.  Am  still  unwell.  JIave  a  severe  headache.  Saw  a 
paper  of  the  loth  inst.  Read  no  news  but  what  I  had  already 
heard. 

February  24th. 
R:iiny  day.     Am  still  unwell.     Drew  five  days'  rations. 

February  25th. 

Weather  foggy  and  misty.  Wrote  to  Rose  to-day.  Am  still 
troubled  with  a  cold  and  headache. 

Sunday,  February  26th. 

Weather  changeable.  My  cold  is  about  the  same.  Have  been 
reading  "Noble  Deeds  of  American  Women''  nearly  all  day. 
During  the  past  week  1  have  read  Washington's  Life  by  Sims 
and  "Vestiges  of  Creation."  Time  passes  wearily,  there  being 
nothing  of  an  exciting  nature  going  on  around  us.  The  presence 
of  a  squad  of  guerrillas  occasionally  affords  us  life  for  a  moment. 

February  27th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  Am  on  picket  to-day.  Drew  clothing 
this  morning.  A  scouting  party  sent  out  yesterday  and  returned 
without  seeing  any  armed  rebel. 

February  28th. 

Very  rainy.  Rained  hard  all  night.  Had  no  shelter  and  got 
completely  wet  through.  Rained  all  day.  Mustered  for  pay. 

March  2d 

Weather  still  unsettled.  Had  a  regular  army  muster  to-day. 
More  of  the  battalion  have  reported  at  Blair's  Landing.  The 
Colonel,  Lieutenant-Colonel,  Major  and  Adjutant  are  at  Hilton 
Head. 

March  3d. 
Pleasant.     Quite  warm.     Not  doing  much  to-day. 

March  4th. 

Cloudy  and  some  rain.  Received  New  York  papers  yester- 
day of  the  24th  of  February.  It  was  a  rich  treat  to  us.  We  had 
been  four  weeks  without  seeing  any  papers  from  the  North.  We 
were  rejoiced  to  learn  that  the  camp  rumors  about  the  military 
situation  were  correct.  Charleston  and  Wilmington  had  fallen, 


195  [1865 

and  the  dear  old  flag  once  more  floats  over  Sumter,  in  ruins  though 
it  be.  Sherman's  campaign  through  Georgia  to  the  sea,  and 
through  the  Carolinas  into  Virginia,  is  proving  to  be  one  continual 
series  of  brilliant  successes,  on  a  scale  so  magnificent  that  history 
scarcely  furnishes  a  parallel.  I  doubt  not  that  ere  the  Northern 
flowers  bloom,  Richmond,  through  the  agency  of  Sherman  and  his 
veterans,  will  follow  in  the  train  of  Charleston.  Such  successes 
cannot  fail  to  bring  soon  a  permanent  and  enduring  peace.  Had 
company  drill  to-day.  There  are  a  good  many  recruits  in  the 
company,  and  they  make  rather  awkward  work.  I  drill  the  com- 
pany occasionally. 

March  5th. 

Pleasant.  Report  that  Richmond  is  taken.  Had  inspection 
to-day.  Had  a  long  and  interesting  conversation  with  Lieutenant 
Gillis,  a  brother  of  the  craft.  Wrote  to  Manda  Mackey  and 
Lucinda  to-day. 

March  6th. 

Am  on  picket  to-day.  My  post  is  on  the  main  road  leading  to 
Poootaligo,  and  contrabands  are  cooling  in  by  the  score.  Two 
mounted  darkies  came  in  on  splendid  animals,  and  reported  a  small 
force  of  rebels  out  about  three  miles.  I  did  not  care  so  much 
about  the  rebs  as  I  did  the  horses,  so  I  sent  them  to  headquarters, 
under  guard,  and  they  soon  came  back  minus  the  horses.  Next 
came  along  a  big  strapping  negro  and  a  good-looking  mulatto 
girl,  and  as  they  asked  for  protection  I  sent  them  on  to  headquarters. 
There  was  a  little  domestic  squabble  connected  with  this  couple. 
It  appeared  that  the  mulatto  was  still  a  maiden  lady,  and  she  had 
induced  her  more  sable  companion  to  run  off  with  her.  Soon  after 
the  wife  and  outraged  mother,  with  an  infant  in  her  arms,  came 
rushing  up,  seeking  her  false  lord.  I  could  not  resist  her  pleading, 
so  I  sent  her  on  after  them.  There  was  fire  in  her  eyes  which 
showed  the  spirit  that  burned  within.  I  tried  to  test  her  affection 
for  her  false  lord  by  representing  how  he  had  misused  her  and 
how  false  he  had  been,  but  it  had  no  effect.  She  was  determined 
to  pursue  him.  The  Colonel  sent  her  on  after  them.  They  had  a 
few  moments  before  started  for  the  landing,  and  the  Colonel  told 
her  to  take  a  good  cudgel  and  give  her  man  a  good  pounding 
when  she  found  him.  The  laws  of  South  Carolina  do  not  tolerate 
marriage  amongst  her  colored  population,  but  allow  them  to  live 
together  like  beasts.  Next  came  along  a  large  squad  of  darkies 


1865J  196 

with  their  wives  and  children.  Then  came  three  negro  braves 
who  had  captured  rebels  and  their  guns,  and  wanted  to  act  as  pilots 
to  conduct  a  party  out  to  capture  a  band  of  rebels  hidden  in  a 
swamp  over  twenty  miles  out.  Over  twenty  darkies  and  refugees 
came  in  to-day. 

March  7th. 

Cloudy  and  cool.  Came  off  picket  this  morning.  Was  up  all 
night.  Took  a  short  nap  this  morning.  Got  up  and  washed  a 
shirt  and  read  two  poems,  "Orlando"  and  one  "Doctor  Dwights." 
Twenty-five  men  from  Company  D  have  gone  out  on  a  scout. 

March  8th. 

Unpleasant.  Rained  hard  all  day.  Have  scarcely  been  out 
of  the  tent.  Cooked  a  dish  of  beans  and  have  just  got  the  dishes 
washed. 

March  9th. 

Foggy  and  occasional  gusts  of  rain.  A  swelling  has  broken  in 
my  head.  It  was  that  which  caused' my  almost  constant  headache. 

March  10th. 

Rained  very  hard  all  night  and  nearly  all  the  forenoon.  I 
drilled  the  company  this  afternoon. 

March  llth. 

Am  on  picket  to-day  and  stationed  on  the  main  road  and  have 
a  corporal  and  seven  men  with  me.  I  am  in  charge  of  the  post. 
Have  marching  orders  the  first  of  next  week. 

March  12th. 

Very  pleasant.  Cold  night.  Had  quite  a  frost.  Read  a  book 
entitled  "Heir  of  -  — ." 

March  13th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  Went  on  battalion  drill  for  the  first  time 
in  over  a  year.  Wrote  to  Nivvie  this  afternoon. 

March  14th. 

Went  on  a  scout  last  night  with  the  company.  Took  a  squad 
of  men  and  went  ahead  as  advance  guard.  Started  at  eleven  p. 
M.  and  got  back  at  half  past  four  A.  M.  Traveled  eighteen  mile? 
without  meeting  an  armed  rebel.  Three  hundred  re-info rcements 
arrived  during  the  night  from  Blair's  Landing  but  went  back  in  the 
morning.  An  attack  was  expected. 

March  15th. 

Rainy.  Were  ordered  to  full  in  line  as  quickly  as  possible  this 
forenoon  to  repel  an  attack,  but  it  was  only  a  silly  scare.  We 


19T  [1865 

stacked  arms  and  returned  to  our  quarters  with  accoutrements.  A 
negro  came  in  and  reported  a  large  body  of  rebels  at  McPherson- 
ville,  three  miles  from  here.  A  company  has  been  sent  out  to 
reconnoiter.  Returned  and  reported  no  enemy  in  sight. 

March  16th. 

Rainy  weather.  Very  disagreeable.  One  year  ago  to-day  our 
regiment  started  for  home  on  a  veteran  furlough. 

March  17th. 

Pleasant  and  warm.  Peach  trees  are  in  bloom.  Nature  begins 
to  look  spring-like. 

March  20th.  . 

Pleasant  and  quite  warm.  Gen.  Prince  and  staff  inspected  our 
quarters  to-day  and  reviewed  us.  Gen.  Prince  commands  pro- 
visional division  detachments  of  Sherman's  army  at  Blair's  Landing, 
numbering  eight  thousand  men.  Have  been  at  work  to-day 
remodeling  and  enlarging  our  quarters.  Went  on  battalion  drill 
this  afternoon.  Wrote  a  long  letter  to  Lester  yesterday.  Have 
seen  a  paper  of  the  14th.  News  cheering.  Major-Generals  Cox 
and  Scofield  repulsed  the  rebels  in  a  hard  fight  at  Kinston,  North 
Carolina.  Major-General  Sheridan  has  made  another  splendid 
and  successful  raid  in  central  Virginia,  destroying  railroad  bridges, 
capturing  a  large  amount  of  rebel  stores  and  fourteen  pieces  of 
artillery. 

March  21st. 

Rainy.     Rollin  caught  a  mess  of  fine  fish  to-day. 

March  22d. 

The  morning  dawned  bright  and  beautiful.  Washed  a  pair  of 
pants,  drawers  and  shirt.  Everything  quiet.  Nothing  of  any 
note  transpiring. 

March  23d. 

Pleasant.  Cool  and  invigorating  air.  Oar  company  was 
ordered  out  on  a  scout  this  morning.  Started  at  seven  o'clock. 
Went  out  into  the  country  fifteen  miles.  Got  back  to  camp  at 
seven  p.  M.,  having  traveled  thirty  miles  in  twelve  hours  and 
making  two  hours'  stop.  The  result  of  our  scout  was  the  capture 
of  one  Johnnie  Reb,  and  twelve  bales  of  cotton  which  were  found 
secreted  in  a  swamp.  A  negro  piloted  us  to  the  spot.  We 
secured  any  amount  of  forage.  Scores  of  contrabands  with  their 
wives  and  children  came  in  with  us.  We  had  a  train  nearly  a 
mile 


1S65]  198 

March  24th. 

Pleasant  and  cool  invigorating  air.  We  get  fresh  sea  breezes. 
Wrote  a  letter  home  this  afternoon. 

.  March  25th. 

Pleasant.  Am  on  picket  to-day.  Had  a  nice  mess  of  fresh  fish 
for  breakfast  and  dinner.  Six  of  my  mess  went  fishing  yesterday 
and  caught  one  hundred  pounds. 

March  26th. 

Fiae  day.  Rebels  were  seen  hanging  around  the  lines  yesterday. 
Scouting  parties  were  sent  out  but  failed  to  bring  them  to  an 
engagement.  Feel  rather  dull  to-day  on  account  of  not  sleeping 
any  last  night.  Inspection  at  five  p.  M. 

March  27th. 

Pleasant.  Cool  night.  Drew  four  days'  rations  to-day.  Had 
company  drill  this  afternoon. 

March  28th. 

Cold  rain  from  the  north-east.  Saw  a  Savannah  paper  of  the 
21st  iust.  Contained  no  further  news  except  an  account  of  the 
death  of  the  rebel  Gen.  Whitney  at  Governor's  Island,  New  York 
City.  He  was  commander  of  the  troops  which  surrendered  to  Gen. 
Terry  at  Wilmington,  North  Carolina. 

March  29th. 

Morning  and  forenoon  rainy.  Afternoon  changeable.  Bought 
a  Savannah  paper  of  the  24th.  It  contained  no  news  of  interest. 
The  same  mournful  howl  still  goes  up  from  the  rebel  press  as 
regards  their  desperate  situation,  and  the  waning  fortunes  of  the 

confederacy.     At  the  request  of  Jeff  Davis,   Bishop —  has 

issued  a  proclamation  calling  on  the  clergy  and  laity  to  observe  a 
day  appointed  for  humiliation  and  prayer  (over  the  sins  of  the  con  - 
thieveracy). 

March  30th. 

Rained  all  night  and  all  the  morning.  Afternoon  changeable. 
Saw  a  paper  of  the  26th  containing  late  news  from  Sherman.  That 
able  General  had  formed  a  junction  with  Scofield  and  Terry  and 
whipped  the  enemy  badly  at  Goldsboro,  North  Carolina.  Sherman 
was  at  last  accounts  doing  well  and  was  likely  to  succeed  in  giving 
the  rebels  another  whipping  soon. 

March  31st. 

Am  on  picket  to-day.  Have  charge  of  three  posts.  The  day 
is  fine.  Drew  five  days'  rations.  Admitted  six  rebel  deserters 


199  [1865 

through  our  lines.  Sent  them  to  headquarters  under  guard.  A 
Major  of  the  loth  corps  commands  the  detachment  now. 

Sunday,  April  1st. 

April  with  its  balmy  breezes  and  refreshing  showers  is  now 
with  us.  This  morn  is  as  bright  and  beautiful  as  was  ever  gilded 
by  the  golden  rays  of  the  rising  sun.  Went  on  battalion  drill  this 
afternoon.  Have  been  reading  "The  Rattlesnake  or  Rebel  Privateer" 

and    "Ella   Cameron,"   also    a   story   entitled and   the 

"Pine  Tree  Town,"  a  story  of  the  South.  Wrote  to  mother  to-day 
and  told  our  folks  to  direct  to  me  as  follows: — Company  D,  Pro- 
visional Division  Sherman's  Army,  2d  Detachment,  17th  Army 
Corps,  in  care  of  Colonel  Henry. 

April  2d. 

Day  splendid.     Inspection  at  forty-five  minutes  past  five  P.  M. 

April  3d. 

Very  pleasant.  Went  on  company  drill  from  ten  o'clock  to 
half  past  eleven  A.  M.  Battalion  drill  from  two  to  four  p.  M. 

April  ttth. 

Arose  early.  Washed  a  shirt.  Went  on  company  drill  this 
morning,  battalion  drill  in  the  afternoon.  Colonel  Henry  drilled 
the  battalion.  Made  a  poor  appearance. 

April  5th. 

Morning  very  warm.  Appearance  of  rain.  Went  on  picket 
this  morning;  afternoon  rainy.  Late  papers  report  another  big 
tight  between  Sherman  and  Bragg  in  which  the  latter  was 
defeated. 

April  6th. 

Very  warm.  Up  all  night.  The  gnats  and  mosquitoes  nearly 
ate  me  up.  The  gnats  are  the  worst.  They  crawl  through  our  gar- 
ments and  bury  themselves  in  our  skin,  their  bites  creating  a 
red  blotch.  It  is  poisonous.  Went  on  company  drill  this  after- 
noon. To-day  is  the  anniversary  of  the  Battle  of  Shiloh.  Have 
seen  northern  papers  of  the  30th  ult. 

April  7th. 

Cloudy.  Weather  changeable.  Occasional  showers.  Detach- 
ment of  loth  corps  has  come  back  to  Pocotaligo.  The  whole  com- 
mand expect  to  march  to  Beaufort  soon  and  take  transportation  to 
Morehead  City,  North  Carolina,  and  from  there  join  Sherman's 
army  at  Goldsboro  where  it  is  resting  and  recruiting  preparatory 
to  farther  work.  All  troops  have  left  Blair's  Landing.  We  met 


1865J  200 

at  Col.  Henry's  headquarters  last  night  for  the  benefit  of  lectures 
by  Brother  Tomlinson,  Col.  Henry,  his  adjutant  and  several  offi- 
cers of  the  detachment  being  present.  We  expect  to  meet  again 
to-night.  We  will  rejoice  when  we  leave  this  sickly  place.  It  has 
been  one  continual  series  of  harassing  alarms  resulting  in  forced 
inarches  by  night  and  day,  in  rain  or  shine.  Some  frightened 
darkies  would  come  in  nearly  every  day  and  report  a  large  body  of 
the  enemy  out  a  little  way,  and  notwithstanding  our  repeated 
efforts  to  find  them,  Col.  Henry  still  put  confidence  in  their  stories, 
and  a  contraband  rushing  in  was  sure  to  be  a  signal  for  a  scout. 
One  night  a  darkey  came  in  and  reported  a  squad  of  guerrillas 
within  two  miles  of  camp.  We  seized  the  darkey  and  took  him  as 
a  guide,  determined  to  punish  him  if  he  brought  a  false  report. 
We  went  out  a  couple  of  miles  and  came  in  sight  of  what  we  sup- 
posed to  be  a  rebel  camp  as  seen  by  the  camp  fires.  I  was  sent  for- 
ward with  a  squad  of  men  to  reconnoiter.  I  approached  pretty  close 
to  the  camp.  Everything  seemed  quiet.  The  officer  in  command 
determined  to  surprise  and  capture  the  whole  force,  so  he  divided 
his  men  and  charged  at  two  different  places.  I  kept  on  with  my 
squad  and  was  first  to  reach  the  camp,  when  lo  and  behold,  it  was 
a  camp  of  darkies.  Please  imagine  our  chagrin  and  wrath  at  the 
darkey  who  gave  the  alarm,  but  when  we  looked  around  for  him, 
he  was  nowhere  to  be  seen.  We  searched  camp  for  him,  but  could 
not  find  him.  Knowing  his  fate  if  he  was  caught,  he  made  good 
use  of  his  legs.  It  appeared  that  several  of  our  boys  had  been  out 
foraging  and  when  they  were  returning,  this  darkey  took  them  to 
be  rebels,  and  being  scared  nearly  to  death,  he  did  not  stop  until 
he  reached  our  camp.  There  was  a  band  of  guerrillas  around,  but 
none  that  we  needed  to  fear,  with  proper  caution. 

April  8th. 

Received  orders  to  pack  up  and  be  ready  to  move.  There  was 
a  mutiny  in  the  detachment  of  the  15th  corps  to-day  occasioned  by 
Col.  Henry  arresting  and  tying  up  hand  and  foot  a  soldier  belonging 
to  said  corps  for  disobeying  orders  by  firing  off  his  gun  without 
leave.  A  squad  of  twenty  men  marched  up  to  headquarters  and 
the  sergeant  in  command  boldly  walked  up  to  Col.  Henry  and 
demanded  the  prisoner's  release.  The  result  was  that  the  fellow 
was  immediately  arrested.  Col.  Henry  then  went  to  the  door  and 
ordered  the  others  to  stack  arms  which  they  refused  to  do.  Col. 
Henry  then  drew  his  revolver  and  told  them  he  would  shojt  every 


201  [1865 

one  unless  they  obeyed.  So  the  twenty  men  were  cowed  by  the 
determined  manner  of  the  Colonel.  They  were  all  immediately 
arrested.  The  detachment  was  in  a  blaze  of  excitement  and  soon 
over  four  hundred  armed  men  were  at  Col.  Henry's  headquarters, 
bent  on  releasing  the  prisoners.  Col.  Henry  sent  orders  for  the 
detachment  of  the  17th  corps  to  arm  themselves  and  prepare  to 
enforce  his  order.  We  obeyed  the  order  but  mentally  resolved 
that  we  would  never  shed  the  blood  of  our  brother  soldiers.  A 
better  feeling  began  to  prevail  now.  Col.  Henry  released  all  except 
the  ringleader.  He  had  his  trial  and  was  sentenced  to  be  shot.  I 
never  learned  whether  the  sentence  was  carried  into  effect. 

Sunday,  April  9th. 

Marched  at  precisely  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  The  boys  are 
all  jubilant  at  leaving  this  sickly  and  disagreeable  place  and  at  the 
prospect  of  soon  joining  our  comrades.  During  the  forenoon  we 
heard  a  salute  of  one  hundred  guns  fired  and  many  were  the  con- 
jectures as  to  what  it  was  for.  When  we  arrived  at  Gardners' 
Corners,  the  first  telegraph  station,  we  learned  that  Richmond  was 
taken.  We  stopped  at  this  place  and  got  dinner.  It  now  com- 
menced raining,  and  rained  continually  until  we  arrived  at  Port 
Royal  ferry,  fourteen  miles  from  Pocotaligo.  We  camped  here 
for  the  night. 

April  10th. 

Early  this  morning  we  went  on  board  the  ferry  and  were  taken 
to  the  ocean  steamer  "Alhambra"  in  the  harbor  at  Hilton  Head. 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Gilman  was  on  board  waiting  for  us.  It  did  us 
good  to  see  a  familiar  face  of  the  old  15th  regiment.  We  lay  over 
here  one  day.  Drew  three  days'  rations. 

April  llth. 

Sailed  last  night  at  eleven  P.  M.  Beautiful  weather  and  smooth 
sailing;  nevertheless  I  was  seasick,  which  was  owing  to  the  poor 
state  my  stomach  was  in  by  living  in  the  sickly  camp  of  Pocotaligo 
so  long.  We  passed  Charleston  harbor  during  the  day  and  on  the 
same  evening  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  Cape  Fear  river  where  we 
now  lie.  On  each  side  of  us  are  two  huge  forts,  garrisoned  by 
federal  soldiers.  Fort  Fisher  is  in  sight  but  five  miles  farther  up 
the  river.  We  have  learned  by  official  information  that  Richmond 
is  captured  with  twelve  thousand  prisoners  and  five  hundred  pieces 
of  artillery. 

13 


1865]  202 

April  12th. 

Lay  at  anchor  until  one  o'clock  p.  M.  and  then  went  on  board 
the  General  Meigs.  We  soon  passed  Fort  Wilmington,  the  scene 
of  the  great  battle  which  resulted  so  gloriously  on  the  side  of  the 
Union.  We  had  a  splendid  view  of  the  fort  as  we  passed  it.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  river  is  Fort  Jackson  which  the  rebels  blew 
up  by  connecting  a  telegraph  wive  with  a  torpedo.  We  also  passed 
old  revolutionary  forts  and  buildings  whose  dingy  walls  have  a 
hallowed  remembrance  in  the  hearts  of  all  true  patriots. 

April  13th. 

Arrived  at  Wilmington  at  ten  p.  M.  We  had  considerable  diffi- 
culty in  evading  the  obstructions  in  the  river  which  the  rebels  had 
placed  there.  Landed  early  this  morning.  Marched  two  miles 
south  of  the  city  and  went  into  camp.  A  detachment  of  the  17th 
army  corps  was  here.  The  15th  had  gone  on  to  join  Sherman.  I  do 
not  li&e  the  lopks  of  Wilmington  very  well.  A  good  many  of  the 
houses  were  built  hundreds  of  years  ago  and  are  now  moss-grown 
and  gray,  but  its  historic  associations  still  cluster  around  my 
memory  and  they  are  sacred  because  connected  with  revolutionary 
times.  The  city  in  time  of  peace  contained  fifteen  or  twenty 
thousand  inhabitants.  We  will  probably  remain  here  until  we 
set  out  to  join  the  mam  army.  We  are  much  better  situated  here 
than  we  were  at  Pocotaligo.  It  is  healthy  and  a  much  more 
pleasant  country. 

April  14th. 

To-day  brings  us  the  glorious  news  that  Gen.  Lee  has  sur- 
rendered his  entire  army  to  Gen.  Grant,  and  we  expect  to  hear 
soon  that  Gen.  Johnson  has  followed  suit  to  Gen.  Sherman.  One 
hundred  guns  were  fired  at  this  place  to-day  in  honor  of  the  vic- 
tory. Also  one  hundred  guns  in  commemoration  of  again  raising 
the  same  old  flag  which  was  hauled  down  from  Fort  Sumter  by 
armed  traitors.  The  salute  will  be  fired  by  the  same  guns  that 
commemorated  its  fall.  Henry  Ward  Beecher  delivers  the  address 
on  this  interesting  occasion. 

April  15th. 

Very  windy.  Received  orders  this  afternoon  to  be  ready  ta 
march  at  daylight  to-morrow.  Wrote  two  letters  home  to-day 
and  expressed  my  overcoat. 

April  10th. 

We  did  not  move   to-day  owing  to  the  fact  that  the  bridges 


203  ,  [1865 

across  the  river  broke  down,  and  we  Could  not  get  our  rations  in 
time. 

April  nth. 

Moved  at  six  o'clock  this  morning.  Marched  eighteen  miles 
and  camped  for  the  night.  Went  on  picket  to-night. 

April  18th. 

Marched  at  half  past  five  A.  M.  Went  twenty-two  miles  and 
went  into  camp.  Rained  nearly  all  night. 

April  19th. 

Marched  at  six  A.  M.  Weather  very  hot.  Was  nearly  over- 
come by  the  heat  to-day.  Marched  sixteen  miles.  Drew  two  days* 
rations.  Am  feeling  pretty  well  this  evening. 

April  20th. 

Marched  at  half  past  five  A.  M.  Commenced  raining  early. 
Rained  hard  nearly  all  day.  About  two  p.  M.  an  order  came 
from  Gen.  Sherman  announcing  a  cessation  of  hostilities,  and  a 
strong  hope  of  being  able  to  lead  us  to  our  homes  soon  in  peace, 
with  our  country  undivided.  The  order  was  received  with  joy  by 
all  the  soldiers.  Comments  are  useless  on  such  an  occasion,  but 
the  joyous  tears  spoke  more  eloquently  than  language.  Yet  the 
past  could  not  be  forgotten,  or  the  long  list  of  numberless  dead, 
now  sleeping  in  unknown  and  undistinguished  graves  on  the  hill- 
sides and  in  the  vales  of  the  South. 

April  21st. 

Marched  at  half  past  five.  The  news  came  to-dayTEatPresi- 
dent  Lincoln,  Secretary  Seward  and  son  have  been  assassinated, 
resulting  in  the  President's  death  and  severely  wounding  the 
others.  An  now,  while  the  nation  is  rejoicing  with  unspeakable 
joy  at  its  deliverance,  it  is  suddenly  plunged  into  the  deepest  sor- 
row by  the  most  brutal  murder  of  its  loved  chief.  We  are  con- 
tinually passing  paroled  men  from  Lee's  army  on  their  way  to 
their  homes,  or  to  where  their  homes  were.  Many  found  blackened 
ruins  instead,  and  kindred  and  friends  gone,  they  knew  not 
whither.  Oh,  how  much  misery  treason  and  rebellion  have 
brought  upon  our  land  !  Camped  on  the  river  three  miles  from 
Goldsboro.  Col.  Hall  is  here  with  seven  hundred  recruits  for  the 
14th  Regiment,  and  Col.  Rogers  is  at  Raleigh  with  seven  hun- 
dred for  the  15th.  The  old  organization  is  to  be  resumed.  All 
the  veterans  are  justly  indignant  at  this  usurpation  of  their  right 
and  their  honor  and  reputation.  Here  are  seven  fully  organized 


1865]  204 

companies  of  new  recruits  who  never  saw  a  gun  fired  in  earnest, 
and  they  are  to  step  in  and  succeed  to  the  name  and  fame  of  the 
old  15th.  Men  whom  the  big  bounty  and  the  poor  show  for  fight- 
ing have  brought  into  the  field  are  placed  over  veteran  soldiers, 
scarred  with  battle  marks  received  in  defense  of  their  country. 
We  made  the  march  from  Wilmington  to  Goldsboro  in  five  days, 
distance  one  hundred  miles.  The  first  two  days'  march  out  from 
Wilmington,  the  country  was  high,  sandy  and  barren.  After  that 
we  came  into  the  pine  regions  where  nothing  but  one  interminable 
forest  of  pitch  pine  met  our  view.  From  these  trees,  tar,  turpen- 
tine and  rosin  are  made.  The  trees  are  chiseled  in  grooves,  the 
grooves  terminating  in  a  trough  cut  in  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  to 
receive  the  pitch.  This  is  the  chief  staple  of  produce  in  this 
country.  The  pitch  is  put  through  a  distilling  process  and  con- 
verted into  turpentine,  the  thickest  part  into  tar  and  the  dregs 
into  rosin. 

April  22d. 

Marched  at  seven  A.  M.  toward  Goldsboro  and  turned  off  on 
the  Raleigh  road.  Went  into  camp  at  nine  A.  M.  to  draw  rations. 
To-day  I  received  the  startling  and  sorrowful  intelligence  that 
Milton  had  escaped  from  prison,  been  home,  returned  to  the  army 
and  been  captured  by  a  band  of  rebel  cavalry  while  out  foraging 
and  brutally  murdered  in  company  with  four  of  his  comrades. 
One  escaped  and  brought  the  news  to  camp.  In  consequence  of 
this  intelligence,  my  spirits  are  much  depressed  to-day.  I  have  a 
faint  hope  that  the  information  is  incorrect.  I  will  soon  know. 
The  17th  corps  train  is  in  from  the  front.  Saw  some  of  the  15th 
boys.  They  start  back  this  evening.  Quite  a  number  of  our  boys 
went  back  with  them,  Rollin  amongst  the  number.  We  are 
ordered  to  be  ready  to  march  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

April  23d. 

Marched  at  half  past  five  A.  M.  Was  on  advance  guard. 
Marched  eighteen  miles  and  went  into  camp. 

April  24th. 

Marched  at  half  past  five  o'clock.  Marched  twenty-six  miles 
and  camped  within  ten  miles  of  Raleigh.  We  expect  to  reach  our 
proper  command  to-morrow.  The  matter  of  peace  is  not  satis- 
factorily arranged  yet  according  to  accounts. 

April  25th. 

Marched  at  seven  A.  M.     Arrived  at  Raleigh  at  twelve  M.    The 


[1865 

corps  moved  from  Raleigh  at  eight  o'clock  A.  M.  in  pursuit  of 
Johnson.  Hostilities  were  resumed  to-day  at  seven  A.  M.  We 
rested  awhile  at  Raleigh  and  then  set  out  to  join  the  corps,  which 
we  overtook  twelve  miles  from  Raleigh.  Then  each  soldier  re- 
ported to  his  proper  command.  I  am  now  with  the  mounted  squad 
but  have  not  yet  got  a  horse.  I  found  here  about  fifty  of  my  old 
comrades  of  the  14th  and  15th  veteran  battalion  and  several  boys 
whom  I  had  left  in  prison. 

April  26th. 

To-day  Gen.  Johnson  surrendered  his  entire  army  to  Gen. 
Sherman,  and  thus  the  last  armed  foe  of  any  consequence  this 
side  of  the  Mississippi  river  has  surrendered.  We  consider  the 
Rebellion  virtually  at  an  end,  and  peace,  sweet  peace,  will  now 
fold  her  wings  over  us,  and  joyful  shouts  and  anthems  will  ring 
out  over  all  our  land,  welcoming  back  to  home  and  friends, 
our  country's  preservers. 

April  27th. 

Marched  back  to  Raleigh.  Expressed  Milton's  things  home. 
Saw  George  Lowe.  The  15th  and  17th  corps  here  turned  over 
their  ordnance  stores  preparatory  to  marching. 

April  28th. 

Stayed  in  camp  all  day.  The  seven  companies  of  recruits  for 
the  loth  Illinois  came  in  to-day. 

April  29th. 

On  our  homeward  march.  Moved  at  eight  A.  M.  Am  on 
provost  guard.  Camped  on  the  east  side  of  Neuse  river,  twelve 
miles  from  Raleigh.  Wrote  four  letters  to-day. 

April  30th. 

Did  not  move  to-day.  The  consolidation  of  the  veteran  bat- 
talion, 14th  and  15th  Illinois  Volunteers  has  been  effectually 
broken  up,  but  we  are  to  remain  as  we  are  during  the  march.  We 
will  muster  this  afternoon  as  on  detached  service  as  provost  guard 
at  division  headquarters.  The  mounted  squad  remains  as  before. 
There  is  not  the  least  desire  on  our  part  to  affiliate  with  the 
recruits  of  the  15th. 

May  1st. 

Marched  at  seven  A.  M.  Moved  fifteen  miles  and  went  into 
camp. 

May  2d. 

Marched  at  six  o'clock.     Went  eighteen  miles  and  camped  for 


1865]  206 

the  night.  Passed  Forest  Dale  yesterday.  It  was  a  splendid 
looking  place.  A  college  is  situated  here.  Drew  clothing  to- 
night. Country  broken  and  barren. 

May  3d. 

Marched  at  five  A.  M.  Passed  Henderson  and  Clarksville 
Junction  at  ten  A.  M.  We  are  now  resting  near  the  latter  place. 
Marched  five  miles  farther  and  halted  for  dinner.  Warrenton  is 
one  mile  on  our  right.  Marched  five  miles  farther  and  camped  for 
the  night.  Am  on  provost  guard  to-night. 

May  4th. 

Marched  at  seven  A.  M.  Marched  fifteen  miles  and  went  into 
camp.  Are  waiting  for  pontoons  to  be  laid  to  cross  the  Roanokc 
River.  Went  to  corps  headquarters.  Found  one  letter  there  for 
me  from  Rose  and  Gallic.  A  scouting  party  from  the  1st  brigade 
found  ten  pieces  of  artillery  and  a  large  amount  of  ammunition 
secreted  in  the  woods. 

May  5th. 

Marched  at  three  A.  M.  Crossed  Roanoke  River  at  five  A.  M. 
Crossed  the  state  line  from  North  Carolina  into  Virginia  at  six  A. 
M.  Marched  twelve  miles  farther  and  halted  for  the  men  to  make 
coffee,  and  so  we  took  our  first  lunch  in  the  State  of  Virginia. 
After  dinner,  moved  twelve  miles  farther  and  went  into  camp.  It 
is  now  forty-five  miles  to  Petersburg.  We  expect  to  make  the 
march  in  two  days.  Do  not  feel  well  to-night. 

May  6th. 

Marched  at  five  A.  M.  Moved  ten  miles  and  stopped  for 
dinner.  I  rode  with  Tom  Venard  a  short  distance  this  morn- 
ing in  second  brigade  headquarters  ambulance.  Am  still  unwell. 
After  dinner  marched  eleven  miles  and  camped  for  the  night. 
For  the  past  two  days  we  have  passed  through  a  splendid  country, 
high  and  rolling,  good  soil,  splendid  groves  and  beautiful  planta- 
tions and  country  seats.  The  picture  which  is  now  spread  out 
before  me  fully  equals  what  I  have  read  concerning  the  Old 
Dominion. 

May  7th. 

Marched  at  five  A.  M.  Moved  twelve  miles  and  halted  for  rest 
and  refreshments.  After  dinner  moved  to  within  two  miles  of 
Petersburg  and  went  into  camp.  For  the  past  day  we  have  been 
on  the  tramping  and  fighting  ground  of  the  Potomac  army.  All 
along  the  road  is  strewed  evidence  of  severe  fighting.  Our 


207  [1865 

present  camping  ground  is  dotted  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach  with 
spots  where  was  camped  the  vast  Army  of  the  Potomac,  the  brave 
but  unfortunate  army  which  has .  fought  so  bravely,  suffered  so 
much  and  accomplished  so  little.  From  the  Potomac  across  the 
Rappahannock  to  beyond  the  James  River,  their  bodies  lie  slum- 
bering in  an  unbroken  sleep,  never  more  to  waken  to  active  life, 
but  the  cause  for  which  they  sacrificed  their  lives  will  live  and 
grow,  until  its  splendor  eclipses  the  whole  world.  The  Army  of 
the  Potomac  left  for  Washington  on  the  3d.  We  expect  to  start 
for  Richmond  to-morrow.  I  am  on  provost  guard  to-night  at 
division  headquarters,  where  Gen.  Grant's  headquarters  were  just 
before  he  left.  I  procured  a  good  supper  at  the  establishment, 
consisting  of  boiled  victuals,  my  favorite  dish.  The  New  York 
Herald  of  the  5th  gives  an  interesting  account  of  the  conspirators 
engaged  in  the  assassination  of  President  Lincoln,  Secretary  Seward 
and  son,  Jefferson  Davis  and  other  prominent  Southern  men  being 
implicated  in  the  plot.  Also  an  account  of  the  grand  success  of 
our  army  at  Selrna  and  Montgomery,  Alabama,  and  at  Macon, 
Columbus  and  West  Point,  Georgia;  also  of  the  surrender  of  Jeff 
Thompson  and  his  army.  It  also  gives  an  account  of  the  Fenian 
movement  both  in  Ireland  and  America.  Its  effect  on.  the  British 
government,  the  emigration  scheme  to  Mexico,  to  enforce  the 
Monroe  Doctrine;  the  death  of  the  assassinator  Booth;  the  demand 
made  upon  the  Canadian  government  for  the  delivering  up  of 
Booth's  accomplices,  and  the  final  obsequies  of  the  late  lamented 
President,  with  much  more  interesting  news. 

May  8th. 

Marched  at  seven  A.  M.,  the  4th  division  taking  the  lead. 
Marched  through  Petersburg  and  four  miles  beyond.  Went  into 
camp  at  eleven  A.  M.  Petersburg  is  a  city  of  some  twenty  thousand 
inhabitants.  A  great  many  prominent  officers  of  L/ee's  army  were 
there  and  saw  us  pass  through. 

May  9th. 

Marched  at  three  A.  M.,  4th  division  again  being  in  the  lead. 
To-day  we  passed  a  part  of  Gen.  Caster's  division  of  cavalry  of 
Sheridan's  command.  They  are  a  gay  set  of  fellows  and  have 
undaunted  confidence  in  their  commander  and  fairly  worship 
"Phil"  as  he  is  familiarly  termed.  They  are  distinguished  by  a 
red  necktie  which  is  uniformly  worn  throughout  the  division.  At 
nine  A.  M.  we  camped  on  the  plains  on  the  south  side  of  James 


1865]  208 

river  before  Richmond  and  adjacent  to  Hamburg.  From  our  camp 
we  have  a  good  view  of  Richmond. 

May  10th. 

Visited  Richmond  to-day.  Went  through  Libby  Prison  and 
inspected  every  room  accessible  to  visitors.  Went  to  Castle 
Thunder,  also  to  the  State  Capitol  used  during  the  Rebellion  as 
capitol  of  the  confederacy.  The  latter  is  situated  in  Washington 
Square.  A  splendid  equestrian  statue  of  Washington  is  on  the 
capitol  ground,  mounted  on  a  marble  pedestal  representing  him  in 
his  military  attire.  The  index  finger  pointing  to  the  south  as  if 
giving  orders.  Richmond  is  a  splendid  looking  city.  Saw 
Gen.  Lee  to-day.  Also  visited  Jeff  Davis'  and  Lee's  city  resi- 
dences. 

May  12th. 

Rained  hard  all  day.     Marched  at  four  p.  M.  minus  our  break- 
fasts.    We  are  completely  soaked,  also  our  blankets  and  luggage. 
I  saw  Fitz-Hugh  Lee  to-day.     The  4th  division  again  led  the 
column.     Marched  ten  miles  north   of  Richmond  and  went   into 
camp. 

May  13th. 

Marched  at  ten  A.  M.  4th  division  in  the  rear.  Marched  ten 
miles  and  went  into  camp  at  Hanover  Court  House.  Was  left  as 
safeguard  to-day  at  one  of  the  F.  F.  V.'s  of  the  most  aristocratic 
kind.  They  lived  in  princely  style  in  a  splendid  mansion.  At  the 
present  time,  they  felt  rather  sober  and  little  inclined  to  converse. 
Perhaps  the  Yankee  vandals  or  "northern  mud-sills'*  as  we  are 
termed,  who  at  this  time  are  passing,  have  something  to  do  with 
their  silence. 

May  14th. 

Was  ordered  to  march  at  seven  A.  M.  but  the  bridge  across  the 
Pamunky  river  failed  and  we  did  not  move  until  two  P.  M.  The 
roads  are  very  bad.  Marched  ten  miles  and  went  into  camp.  In 
passing  the  defenses  of  Richmond,  I  confess  that  I  saw  nothing 
that  seemed  very  formidable,  but  what  could  have  been  easily  over- 
come if  military  movements  were  properly  directed,  but  perhaps 
on  the  other  part  of  the  line  the  works  are  stronger.  Passed  near 
the  battle-ground  of  the  Wilderness  and  Spottsylvania  Court 
House.  We  are  treading  the  ground  now  that  the  army  of  the 
Potomac  has  marched  over  time  and  again,  sometimes  in  victory 
and  sometimes  in  defeat. 


209  [1865 

May  15th. 

Marched  at  six  A.  M.  Passed  Polecat  river  and  halted  for  re- 
freshments and  rest,  fourteen  miles  from  our  starting  point.  After 
dinner,  marched  six  miles  farther  and  went  into  camp.  We  are 
now  within  twelve  miles  of  Fredericksburg. 

May  16th. 

Marched  at  four  A.  M.  Passed  through  Fredericksburg  and 
crossed  the  Rappahannock  about  noon.  The  town  showed  evi- 
dence of  severe  lighting,  nearly  all  the  houses  being  perforated 
with  bullets,  shells  or  cannon  balls.  The  country  around  the  city 
is  very  hilly.  On  the  north  side  of  the  river  the  country  is  more 
open,  and  for  several  miles  scarcely  any  woods  are  to  be  seen,  the 
land  rolling;  and  soil  sandy.  Saw  the  spot  where  the  cabin  stood 
where  once  lived  the  immortal  Washington.  It  is  nearly  oppo- 
site the  city  of  Fredericksburg.  Marched  twenty  miles  to-day. 
Will  get  to  Alexandria  in  three  days  more  if  we  have  good  luck. 

May  17th. 

Started  at  four  A.  M.  Performed  a  long  and  wearisome  march 
to-day,  making  twenty-two  miles.  The  weather  is  excessively  hot. 

May  18th. 

Marched  at  half  past  four  A.  M.  Forded  Wolf  Creek  at  nine 
A.  M.  and  camped  two  miles  on  the  other  side.  The  country  is 
very  mountainous  and  hilly  through  which  we  passed  to-day. 
Marched  fifteen  miles. 

May  19th. 

Marched  at  eight  A.  M.,  4th  division  being  in  the  rear.  Was 
on  rear  guard  last  night.  Rained  hard  until  eleven  p.  M.  Marched 
fifteen  miles  to-day  and  camped  within  two  and  one-half  miles  of 
Alexandria. 

May  20th. 

Went  to  the  city  to-day.  The  streets  were  crowded  with 
soldiers  from  both  armies.  There  was  a  disposition  amongst  some 
to  blackguard  each  other.  Alexandria  is  a  city  of  ten  thousand 
inhabitants  and  business  is  very  lively,  consequent  upon  so  large 
an  army  being  there.  There  are  over  two  hundred  thousand  troops 
camped  in  and  around  it.  The  old  battalion  received  orders  to-day 
to  report  to  their  respective  regiments.  The  battalion  is  under 
command  of  Lieut.  Gardner  and  the  14th  under  command  of  Capt. 
Gellispie.  The  horses  and  everything  else  belonging  to  the 
quartermaster  department  have  been  turned  over  to  him. 


1865]  210 

Sunday,  May  21st. 

Moved  camp  over  to  the  regiment.  Rained  hard  nearly  all 
day.  Received  a  letter  from  Let  and  Mary  to-day. 

May  22d. 

The  weather  still  continues  rainy. 

May  23d. ' 

Cleared  off  pleasant  during  the  night.  Moved  camp  to-day  to 
the  south  side  of  the  Potomac  in  full  view  of  the  city  of  Washing- 
ton. The  capital  towers  up  majestically  above  all  the  other  build- 
ings. We  can  see  the  White  House,  War  Department,  Washing- 
ton Monument,  and  Smithsonian  Institute.  To-day  the  army  of 
the  Potomac  was  reviewed  by  Grant,  Meade,  President,  Secretary 
of  War  and  other  high  government  officials.  The  army  was 
dressed  in  its  gayest  suit.  The  soldiers  appeared  splendid,  showing 
the  effects  of  good  discipline  and  good  living.  Their  step  was 
elastic  and  guided  by  a  strict  military  gait,  quite  different  from  the 
free,  abandon  step  of  Sherman's  army.  To-morrow  Sherman's  army 
appears  upon  the  stage.  Thousands  of  visitors  from  all  parts  of  the 
United  States  are  flocking  to  the  Capital  to  witness  these  grand 
reviews,  the  largest  and  most  brilliant  ever  known.  The  interest 
is  enhanced  greatly  from  the  fact  that  the  two  rival  armies  are 
just  fresh  from  the  victorious  fields  where  for  four  years  they 
have  fought  the  foul  monster  treason,  and  put  down  with  the 
valor  of  their  arms  one  of  the  greatest  rebellions  ever  known.  The 
nation  feels  justly  proud  of  them,  and  particularly  on  this  occa- 
sion, with  their  work  so  well  done,  and  as  they  are  about  to  dis- 
band and  return  to  their  homes,  a  filial  feeling  of  devotion  is  man- 
fested  toward  them. 

May  24th. 

The  eventful  24th  of  May  dawned  bright  and  beautiful.  The 
heart  of  every  veteran  in  Sherman's  army  beat  high  in  anticipa- 
tion of  the  events  of  the  day.  We  could  not  doubt  our  success. 
The  eye  of  our  matchless  leader  was  upon  us.  The  same  brave 
spirit  that  had  led  us  from  the  mountains  in  Tennessee  to  the  sea, 
sweeping  from  his  path  the  foe  who  had  confidently  hoped  to  ruin 
us.  Our  banners  decked  with  the  glory  of  many  victories,  we 
had  reason  to  feel  proud.  We  determined  to  show  to  the  Lieu- 
tenant-General, who  himself  had  led  us  on  many  bloody  battle- 
fields to  victory,  that  we  had  not  degenerated  while  under  the 
guidance  of  another  leader ;  we  would  show  to  our  chief  magis- 


211  [1865 

trate,  and  to  our  friends  who  had  come  to  witness  our  performance, 
that  we  could,  when  occasion  required,  make  as  good  a  military 
display  as  the  far-famed  Army  of  the  Potomac.  Our  regiments 
of  recruits  were  divided  off  into  companies  of  twenty  files  each, 
and  veterans  placed  in  each  company  as  right  and  left  guide.  The 
remainder  of  the  veterans  did  not  join  us.  They  were  too  proud 
to  mingle  on  this  occasion  with  men  who  had  never  smelled  gun- 
powder. We  only  went  at  the  request  of  our  Colonel  to  act  as 
guides,  so  as  to  make  the  regiment  appear  as  well  as  possible. 
Rollin  and  I  were  right  and  left  guide  to  one  company.  Early  in 
the  morning  the  army  commenced  crossing  Long  Bridge  and 
moved  toward  the  Capitol  ground,  the  14th  aud  20th  Corps 
in  advance.  By  ten  A.  M.  we  were' all  massed  on  the  grounds 
south  of  the  Capitol,  and  prepared  to  march  in  review.  At 
the  command  to  move,  seventy-five  thousand  men  in  column, 
with  bands  playing,  drums  beating,  and  colors  flying,  in  exact 
order  and  time  to  the  music,  marched  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue, 
saluting  our  President  and  commanders  as  we  passed  the  review- 
ing stand.  For  six  long  hours  the  steady  tramp,  tramp,  tramp 
of  Sherman's  heroes  echoed  along  Pennsylvania  Avenue.  The 
shouts  of  the  multitude  rent  the  air.  Garlands  of  flowers  were 
strewed  in  our  pathway,  and  blessings  showered  upon  us.  Though 
our  attire  was  not  as  gay  as  the  Potomac  Army,  yet  we  excelled 
them  in  appearance.  We  wore  the  hard,  bronzed  visage  of  war 
incident  upon  a  march  of  one  thousand  miles,  fighting  day  after 
day,  bridging  rivers,  corduroying  swamps  that  before  were  deemed 
impassible.  I  do  not  wish  to  detract  from  the  just  merits  of  the 
Potomac  Army,  but  the  press  and  public  bear  me  out  in  saying 
that  Sherman's  army  bore  off  the  palm.  We  marched  five  miles 
north  and  went  into  camp.  This  is  to  be  our  camp  while  we 
remain  here.  We  expect  that  steps  will  soon  be  taken  to  procure 
our  discharges.  Our  camp  is  situated  on  a  high  ridge  of  ground 
in  a  good  shady  place,  with  good  springs  near,  and  plenty  of 
wood.  I  should  judge  it  to  be  a  healthy  camp. 

May  25th. 

Went  to  the  city   to-day  to  get   some  government  vouchers 
cashed.     Was  again  disappointed. 

May  26th. 

Rainy.     Wrote  a  letter  home  to-day  and  one  to  Ann.     Re- 
ceived three  letters  last  evening. 


1865]  212 

May  27th. 
Rainy.     Am  on  guard  to-day. 

May  30th. 

Warm  and  pleasant.  Went  to  Washington  to-day  and  visited 
the  Capitol.  My  admiration  was  raised  to  the  highest  pitch  at 
viewing  its  beauty,  vastness,  strength  and  splendor.  The  archi- 
tecture of  the  building  is  sublime,  while  the  ancient  relics  of 

o  ' 

our  country  demand  our  reverence  as  much  as  the  fine  works  of 
art  excite  our  admiration.  The  Senate  Chamber  and  House  of 
Representatives  are  perfectly  magnificent.  I  cannot  do  them 
justice  to  attempt  to  give  a  description  of  them,  so  I  will  not  try. 
The  most  sacred  relic  I  saw  was  the  original  Declaration  of 
Independence  with  the  original  signatures  attached.  The  marble 
statue  of  Tecumseh  represented  in  the  agonies  of  death  is  splendid. 
Statues  of  our  most  illustrious  men  adorn  the  picture  gallery  and 
splendid  paintings  are  on  the  walls.  I  next  visited  the  Patent 
Office  where  equal  admiration  enchained  me.  Here  are  laid  up  in 
the  archives  of  the  nation  many  ancient  relics  of  our  country.  Here 
Washington's  personal  and  military  effects  are  deposited  consist- 
ing of  coat,  vest,  pants,  hat,  shoes,  sword,  cane,  mess-chest  and 
kit  consisting  of  four  iron  plates,  knives  and  forks  and  camp  stool, 
which  at  the  present  day,  an  officer  of  our  army  would  consider 
unfit  for  use,  tent,  tent-poles  and  pins,  bed  and  curtains,  worked 
by  his  wife,  saddle,  secretary  and  numerous  other  articles,  all  in 
a  perfect  state  of  preservation,  all  of  which  possess  a  sacred  charm 
and  interest  for  me.  Here  is  Franklin's  original  printing  press 
and  the  coat  that  Jackson  wore  at  the  battle  of  New  Orleans;  the 
military  suit  worn  by  Gen.  Paez,  successor  of  Simon  Bolivar  in 
the  command  of  the  army  of  liberation  in  South  America;  a  set  of 
chinaware,  and  a  saddle  presented  by  the  Tycoon  of  Japan  to 
President  Buchanan,  etc.,  etc.;  a  model  of  all  patents  ever  issued 
at  the  Patent  Office  is  here  with  the  inventors'  names  on  them.  I 
next  visited  the  Treasury  and  War  Department  and  White  House, 
each  of  which  was  full  of  interest  to  a  stranger.  I  passed  one  of 
the  most  delightful  days  I  ever  experienced.  It  needs  a  week's 
time  to  visit  these  places  and  see  everything  of  interest.  I  shall 
visit  them  now  as  often  as  opportunity  will  permit  while  I  remain 
at  Washington.  I  intend  to  visit  the  Smithsonian  Institute  and 
Mt.  Vernon  next.  The  talk  is  now  that  we  will  be  sent  to  Louis- 
ville soon  and  from  there  to  our  respective  States  to  be 
mustered  out. 


213  [1865 

May  31st. 

A  portion  of  the  15th  corps  left  this  morning  on  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad  for  Parkersburg,  Virginia.  From  thence  they 
will  go  by  water  to  Louisville. 

June  1st. 

Very  warm  and  pleasant.  It  is  fast  day.  Soldiers  are  once 
more  allowed  to  visit  the  city. 

June  3d. 

Visited  the  Smithsonian  Institute.  Was  much  interested  in 
what  I  saw.  Got  my  vouchers  cashed.  Most  of  the  15th  corps 
have  left. 

June  4th. 
Very  warm.     Same  unbroken  quiet  as  of  yesterday. 

June  5th. 
Little  cooler.     Prospects  of  rain. 

June  6th. 

Colonel  Rogers  received  a  commission  as  Brevet-Brigadier- 
General  to-day. 

June  7th. 

Expect  to  start  this  afternoon  for  Louisville.  I  have  enjoyed 
myself  well  while  here.  It  is  a  beautiful  country  and  a  splendid 
climate.  It  has  given  me  a  good  chance  to  view  the  Nation's 
Capitol  which  I  have  so  long  desired  to  see,  and  the  thought  that 
we  will  soon  be  home,  with  our  work  successfully  performed,  is  a 
joy  too  deep  for  words. 

June  8th. 

En  route  to  Parkersburg,  Virginia,  by  way  of  the  Baltimore 
&  Ohio  Railroad,  and  then  by  steamer  to  Louisville.  We  are 
making  slow  time.  I  am  with  the  baggage  train.  It  is  a  very 
difficult  road.  It  winds  over  and  around  mountains,. passes  over 
abysses  hundreds  of  feet  deep,  and  anon  running  through  the  moun- 
tain in  tunnels  from  one-fourth  to  one  mile  long,  and  strange  to 
say,  Sherman's  whole  army  was  transported  over  this  road  in  a 
little  over  one  week's  time,  without  any  serious  accident  occur- 
ring. 

June  9th. 

Made  good  time  last  night,  but  slow  time  this  morning. 
Passed  through  Harper's  Ferry  last  evening,  the  scene  of  so  many 
thrilling  events.  We  are  now  in  western  Virginia,  the  scene  of 
McClellan's  early  campaign.  The  country  is  very  mountainous, 


1865] 

rocky  and  barren.     We  are  now  at  Piedmont.     We  take  another 
road  here. 

June  10th. 

Arrived  at  Parkersburg  at  four  p.  M.,  and  immediately  em- 
barked on  transport  "  G.  E.  Gilrnan." 

June  llth. 
Weather  cloudy  and  misty.     We  are  progressing  finely. 

June  12th. 

Passed  Cincinnati  last  night  and  Marietta  about  noon.  The 
scenery  on  the  banks  of  the  river  is  beautiful.  Passed  Murrell's 
Cave  to-day,  a  place  which  the  notorious  highway  robber  and 
cut-throat  used  as  a  rendezvous  for  his  gang  and  stolen  property. 
We  arrived  at  Louisville  at  nine  A.  M.,  and  immediately  proceeded 
to  camp  six  miles  southwest  of  the  city.  Louisville  is  a  very  nice 
looking  city.  The  country  around  it  is  rich  and  pleasant.  Our 
camp  is  poorly  selected,  but  we  expect  to  move  it  soon. 

June  13th. 
Received  letters  from  Manda  and  Mary  to-day. 

June  14th. 

Received  a  letter  from  Cinda,  and  wrote  to  Manda  and  Mary 
to-day. 

June  15th. 

Very  warm.  Moved  camp  twelve  miles.  We  are  now  camped 
four  miles  southeast  of  the  city.  We  are  now  under  marching 
orders  for  St.  Louis,  but  for  what  purpose  we  do  not  know, 
only  our  brigade  is  under  marching  orders. 

June  16th. 

I  am  on  safe-guard,  guarding  a  man's  property  who  owns  a 
large  vineyard  and  garden.  His  berries  are  ripe  now,  and  we 
have  all  that  we  wish.  I  have  six  guards  with  me.  The  propri- 
etor invited  me  into  his  family  to  board  with  him  while  I  remain, 
an  invitation  which  I  gladly  accepted.  Wrote  to  Cinda,  Manda 
and  Uncle  Charles  to-day. 

June  17th. 
Very  warm.     There  is  no  prospect  of  our  moving  this  week. 

June  18th. 

Very  warm.  Worked  a  short  time  in  the  harvest  field  for 
recreation.  Secured  a  fine  sample  of  wheat  to  send  to  father  for 
seed. 


215 

June  20th. 

Was  paid  off  this  evening.  Received  three  hundred  sixty-nine 
dollars.  Invested  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  government  seven- 
thirty  bonds  and  expressed  them  to  Lester. 

June  21st. 

Marched  at  five  A.  M.  Took  the  transport  "Camilla"  for  St. 
Louis.  Are  just  shoving  off  from  shore  and  slowly  dropping 
down  stream.  This  sudden  move  still  remains  a  mystery  to  us. 
Some  think  we  are  going  to  be  mustered  out.  Some  think  that 
we  are  going  to  some  distant  post  to  do  garrison  duty.  We 
veterans  cannot  believe  that  the  government  will  be  guilty  of  so 
great  an  injustice  as  still  keeping  us  in  the  service  after  we  have 
so  faithfully  performed  our  part  of  the  contract. 

June  22cL 

Arrived  at  Cairo. 

June  25th. 

At  St.  Louis.  Our  astonishment  and  anger  knew  no  bounds 
when  we  found  out  that  we  were  to  be  sent  to  the  frontier  to  fight 
Indians.  Our  brigade  commander,  Gen.  Stolbrand,  was  the  author 
of  this  outrage.  The  recruits  had  no  reason  to  complain  as  they 
were  bound  to  service  one  year  if  their  services  were  required,  but 
we  had  fulfilled  our  part  with  the  government  to  the  very  letter. 
Symptoms  of  mutiny  began  to  manifest  itself.  A  large  number  of 
the  veterans  took  French  leave,  determined  not  to  go.  To  quiet 
the  tumult,  orders  were  issued  to  grant  furloughs — twenty  per 
cent,  of  all  enlisted  men,  but  about  ninety  per  cent,  were 
given  to  the  veterans.  I  obtained  a  furlough  without  the  asking, 
and  it  came  very  acceptable  just  at  this  time,  for  the  day  before 
I  received  a  letter  from  Manda  announcing  her  betrothal  to  one 
Albert  Sheldon,  with  an  urgent  appeal  for  me  to  visit  them  if  pos- 
sible. In  a  somewhat  desponding  mood,  I  sent  word  that  it  would 
be  impossible,  as  we  were  ordered  off  on  distant  service,  but  the 
very  next  day  I  received  a  furlough  and  could  reach  Pennsylvania 
nearly  as  soon  as  the  letter. 

June  27th. 

Started  for  Pennsylvania  this  morning.  The  regiment  also 
starts  for  Leavenworth  City,  Kansas,  to-day.  Arrived  at  Spring- 
field and  found  most  of  my  comrades,  whom  I  had  left  at  the  rebel 
prison  at  Millen,  there  waiting  for  their  pay,  they  having  already 
been  discharged. 


1865]  216 

June  28th. 

Started  for  Titusville  on  the  Atlantic  and  Great  Western  rail- 
way. Made  connection  with  the  Terre  Haute. and  Indiana  railroad 
and  then  took  the  Chicago,  Pittsburgh  and  Fort  Wayne  road,  then 
the  Northern  Indiana  and  Southern  Michigan  for  Erie,  then  the 
Pennsylvania  and  Erie  for  Corry;  from  there  I  took  the  Oil  Creek 
railroad  for  Titusville,  at  which  place  I  arrived  on  the  29th.  Uncle 
Henry  had  gone  to  New  York  City  and  I  did  not  get  a  chance  to 
see  him. 

July  1st. 

I  went  up  to  Brevoort  to-day.  Found  Manda  washing.  Went 
up  to  her  and  spoke  before  she  saw  me.  The  surprise  was  perfect 
and  she  laughed  and  cried  by  turns.  Ann  also  acted  a  little 
childish.  Uncle  Norm  and  aunt  Nell  had  gone  East  on  a  visit. 
Myron  and  Minnie  were  at  Brevoort.  Was  very  glad  to  see  them. 
Like  the  appearance  of  Minnie  very  much.  It  looked  hard  to  see 
Myron  with  only  one  arm,  but  with  his  qualifications  and  the  use 
of  his  right  arm,  he  can  earn  a  competency  with  his  pen.  After 
the  first  emotions  had  somewhat  subsided.  Amanda  brought  for- 
ward Albert  and  presented  him  to  me.  I  was  prepared  to  like  him 
and  my  impressions  concerning  him  were  good. 

July  4th. 

I  have  enjoyed  myself  well  here,  but  I  cannot  pass  this  day  at 
all  in  consonance  with  my  feelings.  Albert,  Manda,  Ann  and  I 
went  up  to  what  is  called  the  "Big  Rock." 

July  12th. 

Amanda  has  concluded  to  go  home  with  me.  She  did  not 
intend  to  go  until  September  and  Albert  was  coming  up  in  October, 
and  they  were  to  be  married  in  November  on  Manda's  birthday. 

July  13th. 

We  left  to-day  for  home.  Left  Brevoort  yesterday  and  came 
up  to  Titusville. 

July  14th. 
Arrived  at  home,  where  a  joyful  welcome  awaited  us. 

July  16th. 

On  arriving  at  home  I  found  that  Rollin  had  got  his  and  my 
descriptive  list  sent  by  Captain  Garder  with  the  privilege  of  using 
them  to  get  mustered  out  if  we  can. 

July  27th. 
We  went  to  Springfield  to  see  if  we  could  not  procure  our  dis- 


217  [1865 

charge,  but  did  not  succeed.  I  went  to  Colonel  Oaks,  chief 
mustering  officer  for  the  State,  and  presented  my  descriptive  list, 
but  my  furlough  ordered  me  to  report  back  to  the  regiment  and 
he  could  do  nothing  for  us.  I  then  went  to  Adjutant- General 
Hayne  and  he  told  me  to  go  to  the  commandant  of  the  post  and  if  I 
could  induce  him  to  give  me  an  order  for  a  discharge,  I  would  be 
all  right,  but  he  would  not  do  it,  so  I  had  no  other  resource  left 
but  to  go  back  to  the  regiment  or  return  home.  I  chose  the  latter 
alternative,  and  in  company  with  five  of  my  comrades,  I  returned 
on  the  evening  train.  I  helped  father  do  his  harvesting  and  then 
Rollin  and  I  started  for  the  regiment.  From  Chicago,  we  took 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  road.  I  passed  over  some  as 
fine  country  as  I  ever  saw.  On  arriving  at  Quincy,  we  took  the 
Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  railroad  and  arrived  at  St.  Joseph  the 
next  day.  We  then  took  the  cars  for  western  Missouri  and  from 
there  the  steamer  for  Leavenworth  City,  Kansas,  where  we  ar- 
rived at  eleven  A.  M.  We  found  that  the  regiment  had  been  gone 
several  weeks.  We  went  down  near  the  Fort  and  camped  with  the 
rest  of  our  comrades  who  had  returned  before  us.  We  got  fresh 
accessions  to  our  ranks  every  day  and  soon  we  had  a  larger  number 
here  in  camp  than  were  on  the  march.  Leavenworth  is  a  city  of 
some  eighteen  thousand  inhabitants.  Its  growth  surpasses  that  of 
any  other  city  in  the  West.  Five  years  ago  it  was  nothing  but  a 
village.  Large  trains  of  wagons  are  leaving  daily,  loaded  with 
government  stores  and  provisions  for  distant  posts  on  the  plains. 
Leavenworth  at  the  present  time  is  infested  with  a  desperate  gang 
of  thieves  and  murderers.  One  day  three  dead  soldiers  were  found 
between  our  camp  and  town,  and  they  were  so  bold  as  to  attempt 
to  murder  one  of  our  boys  in  sight  of  camp,  but  he  happened  to 
have  his  revolver  with  him  and  he  turned  upon  his  assailants, 
wounded  one  and  the  other  took  "leg  bail."  After  this,  when  we 
went  outside  of  the  camp  far,  it  was  in  squads.  We  now  learned 
that  the  regiment  had  received  orders  to  return  to  be  mustered  out. 
They  went  within  fifteen  miles  of  Fort  Kearney.  Arrived  back  at 
Fort  Leavenworth  about  the  1st  of  September,  and  preparations 
were  immediately  made  to  muster  us  out.  I  assisted  in  making 
out  our  company's  rolls.  I  had  now  been  promoted  to  3d  sergeant. 
We  were  mustered  out  about  the  middle  of  the  month  and  the 
next  day  started  for  Springfield  for  our  pay  and  final  discharge. 
Our  progress  over  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph  railroad  was  very 

14 


1865]  218 

tedious  and  slow.  There  was  hardly  a  mile  of  the  track  but  what 
had  been  disturbed  by  guerrillas  during  the  war  and  it  was  not  yet 
repaired.  We  had  one  smash-up  which  gave  me  a  sore  head  and 
a  great  many  others  bruised  noses.  The  road  passes  through  the 
best  part  of  Missouri.  On  arriving  at  Quincy,  we  took  the  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  and  Quincy  road  for  Springfield.  A  person 
could  not  help  but  notice  the  contrast  between  the  thrift  and 
culture  of  the  soil  in  Illinois  and  Missouri.  Every  time  that  I 
pass  through  the  state,  my  heart  glows  with  renewed  pride  that  I 
am  a  citizen  of  the  State  of  Illinois. 

September  30th. 

The  next  morning  we  arrived  at  Camp  Butler  and  went  into 
camp  in  the  woods  near  by.  We  found  several  regiments  here 
waiting  to  be  discharged.  It  was  nearly  two  weeks  before  our 
papers  were  made  out.  On  the  30th  of  September  we  received 
our  final  pay  and  discharge.  I  had  worn  the  livery  of  Uncle  Sam 
for  four  years,  five  months  and  twenty-seven  days.  1  have  tried  to  do 
my  whole  duty  in  sustaining  the  integrity  of  our  nation.  I  have 
the  proud  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  my  labor  has  not  been 
in  vain,  and  thousands  who  have  fought  in  the  same  cause  and 
endured  hardships  in  common  have  at  last  found  their  full  recom- 
pense in  a  Union  restored  and  a  re-union  with  home  and  friends. 
To  the  fallen  who  have  yielded  up  their  lives  on  the  altar  of  their 
country,  it  will  ever  hold  them  unshrined  in  its  brightest  glory. 

Our  work  has  been  effectually  done,  and  if  we  prove  wise  and  do 
not  let  mad  passion  and  hate  engendered  by  the  war  rule  the  mind, 
I  can  see  nothing  to  prevent  a  perfect  and  speedy  reconciliation,  and 
our  flag  and  the  authority  of  our  government  will  be  honored  and 
respected  all  over  our  land,  and  both  North  and  South  may  learn 
lessons  of  wisdom  by  the  folly  of  the  past,  and  hand  in  hand,  with 
all  bitter  feelings  and  animosities  obliterated,  march  forward  to 
their  destiny,  to  the  very  acme  of  civilization,  freedom  and 
power.  I  am  proud  to  know  that  my  feeble  efforts  helped  con- 
tribute to  this  glorious  end,  and  now,  after  strife  and  bloodshed 
has  ceased  and  sweet  peace  once  more  broods  over  our  land,  it  is 
with  a  thankful  heart  and  intense  joy  that  I  lay  aside  the  honorable 
title  of  Soldier  and  once  more  enjoy  the  proud  title  of  an  American 
Citizen,  a  subject  of  the  best  and  truest  government  on  God's 
earth.  Before  leaving  for  home,  in  company  with  several  of  my 
comrades,  I  paid  a  parting  visit  to  the  tomb  of  Lincoln  at  Oak 


219  [1865 

Ridge  Cemetery.  We  passed  within  the  inclosure  and  registered 
our  names  besides  hundreds  of  thousands  of  others  who  had  been 
there  before  us.  We  then  went  to  the  grated  opening  of  the 
sepulchre  and  took  one  last  lingering  look  at  the  narrow  resting 
place  where  sleeps  all  that  is  mortal  of  Lincoln,  whose  noble  heart 
and  mind  had  guided  us  through  all  the  dark  and  bloody  years  of 
our  Nation's  struggle  for  existence.  Lincoln's  tomb  will  ever  be 
the  shrine  to  which  patriots  will  resort  as  homage  to  the  man  who 
preserved  our  Nation,  as  Washington's  now  is  as  its  founder.  We 
took  the  evening  train  for  Chicago  where  we  arrived  the  next 
morning  at  five  o'clock.  We  took  the  nine  o'clock  train  for 
Marengo  and  arrived  there  at  twelve  M.  and  were  once  more 
welcomed  home  by  kind  and  true  friends  to  enjoy  again  the 
sweets  of  civil  life. 

Now,  kind  friends,  I  will  close  this  imperfect  sketch  of  my 
observations  and  experience  while  in  the  service  of  my  country, 
hoping  that  you  will  overlook  all  deficiencies  and  imperfections,  of 
which  I  am  conscious  that  there  are  many.  I  have  relied  a  great 
deal  on  my  memory  for  guidance  and  as  a  consequence,  I  have 
omitted  many  things  which  might  be  interesting  and  put  in  some 
things  that  are  not  interesting,  but  such  as  it  is,  I  submit  it  to  you, 
and  when  I  shall  have  fulfilled  my  allotted  part  in  life  and  shall 
have  passed  to  a  better  stage  of  existence,  may  the  descendants  of 
the  family  to  which  I  belong,  who  may  chance  to  read  these  lines, 
remember  that  in  all  the  years  of  my  life,  there  was  no  time  to 
which  I  could  refer  with  so  pleasing  a  recollection  of  duty  per- 
formed as  when  I  raised  my  hand  to  help  snatch  our  nation  from 
the  whirlpool  of  secession  and  ruin  in  which  it  was  struggling  for 
existence,  and  to  help  purge  it  from  the  foul  stain  of  human 
slavery.  I  ask  no  prouder  monument  to  my  memory  than  that 
of  having  my  name  inscribed  amongst  my  country's  defenders  and 
may  that  Power  that  rules  the  universe  and  guides  the  affairs  of 
nations  and  of  men,  still  continue  His  protecting  care  over  us  all 
and  guide  our  Nation  to  the  highest  pinnacle  of  greatness  and 
glory. 

SERGEANT  L.  W.  BARBER, 

Company  D,  15th  Illinoi»  Veteran  Volunteer  Infantry. 


220 


ROSTER 

OF   THE    15TH   ILLINOIS   VOLUNTEER   INFANTRY. 

Colonel  Geo.  C.  Rogers. — Promoted  Brevet  Brigadier-General,  May, 
1865;  vice  Thos.  J.  Turner,  resigned  November  2d,  1862. 

Lieutenant-Colonel  James  Kaney.— Vice  Geo.  C.  Rogers,  promoted, 
vice  Lieutenant-Colonel  E.  F.  W.  Ellis,  killed  at  Battle  of 
Shiloh. 

Major  Adam  Nase.— Resigned  July  7,  1863;  vice-  James  Raney,  pro- 
moted; vice  William  R.  Goddard,  killed  at  Battle  of  Shiloh, 
April  6, 1862. 

Adjutant  Geo.  Q.  Allen. — Vice  Charles  F.  Barber,  resigned  June  2d, 
1863;  vice  C.  C.  Clark,  transferred  to  staff. 

Surgeon  Win.  J.  McKim. 

Assistant  Surgeon Buck. 

Chaplain  B.  F.  Rogers. 

OFFICERS  OF  COMPANY  "D." 

Captain  Harley  Wayne. — Killed  at  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Captain  Fred  A.  Smith.— Mustered  out  June  18, 1864. 

1st  Lieutenant  Frank  S.  Curtis.— Resigned  September  9,  1861. 

1st  Lieutenant  John  Waldock. — Mustered  out  June  18,  1864. 

2d  Lieutenant  Fred  A.  Smith.— Promoted  to  1st  Lieutenant,  Septem- 
ber 16, 1861;  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6,  1861;  pro 
moted  Captain  April  7,  1862. 

2d  Lieutenant  Michael  Schoonmaker.— Mustered  out  June  18, 
1864. 

MUSTER  ROLL 

OF  COMPANY   "D"  NON-COMMISSIONED  OFFICERS. 

1st  Sergeant  Peter  I.  Labaugh. — Promoted  2d  Lieutenant,  September 
16,  1861;  resigned  April  18,  1862. 

2d  Sergeant  John  Waldock.— Promoted  1st  Sergeant,  September  16, 
1861;  promoted  2d  Lieutenant,  April  7,  1862;  promoted  1st  Lieut- 
enant September  3d,  1862. 

3d  Sergeant  Michael  Schoonmaker.— Wounded  at  Battle  of  Shiloh; 
promoted  1st  Sergeant  April  7,  1862;  promoted  2d  Lieutenant 
September  3, 1863. 

4th  Sergeant  Aaron  C.  Perry. — Transferred  to  Invalid  Corps,  Sep- 
tember 15th,  1860. 

5th  Sergeant  Ira  R.  Curtis.— Discharged  August  31st,  1861. 


221 

CORPORALS. 

1st,  Calvin  H.  Shapley.— Promoted  Sergeant,  September  16th,  1861; 
reduced  to  ranks,  November  9th,  1861;  promoted  2nd  Lieutenant 
April  16th,  1862;  resigned  September  3d,  1862. 

2d,  Alonzo  V.  Howe.— Promoted  Sergeant  September  16th,  1861;  pro- 
moted 1st  Sergeant  December  17th,  1862;  captured  soon  after; 
exchanged  and  returned  to  duty;  mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

3d,  Jacob  D.  Lansing. — Discharged  April  18th,  1862. 

4th,  George  C.  Oakes.— 'Promoted  Sergeant  November  9th,  1861;  pro- 
moted 1st  Sergeant  September  3d,  1862;  discharged  December 
17th,  1862. 

5th,  John  C.  Thompson.— Promoted  Sergeant  April  7th,  1862. 

6th,  Robert  K.  Andrews.— Discharged  August  23d,  1861. 

7th,  Charles  W.  Onthank.— Promoted  Sergeant  September  18th,  1862; 
discharged  June  18th,  1864. 

8th,  Eugene  A.  Wells. — Died  of  wounds  received  at  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

MUSICIANS. 

George  A.  Clark,  Fifer.— Discharged  July  28th,  1862. 
Nathaniel  F.  Andrews,  Drummer. — Died  November  8th,  1862. 

PRIVATES,  MUSTERED  IN  MAY  24TH,  1861. 

Allen,  Morris  H. — Discharged  July  30th,  for  wounds  received  at  Battle 
of  Shiloh. 

Arnold,  Robert  P.— Deserted  January  15th,  1862. 

Avery,  Francis  W.— Deserted  June  18th,  1861. 

Bremen,  James. — Deserted  June  24th,  1861. 

Barber,  Lucius  W.— Appointed  Corporal  September  18th,  1862;  Re-en- 
listed January  1st,  1864;  promoted  Sergeant;  taken  prisoner 
October  4th,  1864,  at  Ackworth,  Georgia;  taken  to  Andersonville 
Prison;  paroled  November  20th,  1864;  exchanged  January,  1865; 
Discharged  September  16th,  1865. 

Barber,  Elon  G.— Discharged  August  31st,  1861. 

Barber,  James  R. — Died  September  18th,  1881. 

Barnes,  Ezra. — Discharged  January  18th,  1862. 

Babcock,  Sidney  S.— Died  August  19th,  1861. 

Bigelow,  Marliii.— Discharged  June  18th,  1864. 

Bliss,  John  D.-  Wounded  at  battle  of  Shiloh;  discharged  December 
17th,  1862. 

Burst,  John  W.— Discharged  August  13th,  1861. 

Burroughs,  John  B. — Discharged  June  18th,  1864. 

Barnes,  Alden.— Died  February  22d,  1862. 

Calkins,  Ebeiiezer  I).  Jr. — Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Clark,  Alva  M.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 


222 

Conley,  Christopher.— Discharged  May  3d,  1862. 

Crosby,  James  H.— Discharged  August  12th,  1861. 

Crumb,  George  H.— Deserted  August  18th,  1862. 

Cassidy,  Patrick. — Ke-enlisted  December  25th,  1863;  deserted  May  1st, 

1864. 

Cronan,  John  D.— Deserted  August  7th,  1862. 
Countryman,  Darius. — Ee-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  captured  at 

Marietta,  Georgia,  September  18th,  1864.    Held  as  prisoner  until 

the  close  of  the  war.  * 

Cooper,  Samuel.— Discharged  October  23d,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at 

Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Dimmick,  George. — Discharged  January  27th,  1862. 
Dimon,  Moses. — Ee-enlisted  December  17th,   1863;    taken  prisoner  at 

Ackworth,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1864;  held  as  prisoner  during 

the  war. 

Dean,  Alfred. — Wounded  at  Shiloh,  April  6th,  1862;  mustered  out  June 

18th,  1864. 

Delany,  Patrick. — Died  at  hospital;  record  not  kept. 
Delany,  William.— Transferred  to  gunboat  service  February  llth,  1862. 
Eaton,  John  C. — Reported  dead,  but  supposed  to  be  still  living. 
Eagan,  James.— Wounded  at  Battle  of  Hatchie,   October  4tb,    1862; 

mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Ellis,  Samuel.— Recruit;  discharged  January  16th,  1862. 

Fox,  William  S.— Died  at  Lafayette,  Tennessee,  January  24th,  1863. 

Gray,  Thomas  T. — Wounded  at  Shiloh,  April  6th;  mustered  out  June 

18th,  1864. 
Gould,    Edward    G. — Discharged  December  13th,    1862,    for   wounds 

received  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Handy,  Philo.— Appointed  Corporal;  promoted  Sergeant  September 
18th,  1862;  discharged  May  1st,  1863,  for  wounds  received  at 
Hatchie. 

Hardy,  Thompson.— Killed  at  Shiloh. 

Haskins,  Orville  T.— Deserted  August  18th,  1862. 

Hotchkiss,  Charles  E.— Died  June  19th,  1862,  from  wounds  received  at 
Shiloh. 

Hotchkiss,  Walford  M.— Taken  prisoner  at  Ackworth,  Georgia,  Octo- 
ber 4th,  1864;  held  as  prisoner  during  the  war. 

Holgate,  Amos.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Huntington,  George  W.— Re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  mustered 
out  September  30th,  1865. 

Huntington,  Harvey  C. — Discharged  August  13th,  1861. 

Huston,  Thomas  E.— Re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  taken  prisoner 
at  Ackworth,  Georgia,  September  26th,  1864;  held  as  prisoner 
during  the  war. 


223 

Hiner,  Emery. — Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Harrison,  Edward  A. — Transferred  to  N.  C.  S.  as  Quartermaster-Ser- 
geant November  llth,  1862;  mustered  out  May  24th,  1864. 

Hancock,  William. — Died  December  8th,  1862. 

Ham,  Henry.— Ee- enlisted  December  27th,  1863;  taken  prisoner  at  Ack- 
worth,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1864;  held  as  prisoner  during  the 
war. 

Johnson,  Joseph. — Eecruit;  mustered  out  September,  1864. 

King-,  Oscar  W.— Recruit;  re-enlisted  December  25th,  1863. 

Killen,  Alexander. — Recruit;  re-enlisted  December  2ftth,  1863;  ap- 
pointed Corporal  September  18th,  1862;  taken  prisoner  at 
Ackworth,  Georgia,  October  4th;  held  as  prisoner  during  the 
war. 

Langlis,  Francis. — Discharged  January  16th,  1862. 

Lioomis^  Frank  S. — Appointed  Corporal  September  16th,  1861;  dis- 
charged July  8th,  1862. 

Lincoln,  Albert.— Discharged  February  5th,  1862. 

Lillibrige,  Henry  F.— Died  December  31st,  1861. 

Maude,  Charles  .—Discharged  July  28th,  1862. 

McDonald,  Daniel  J.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Meyers,  William  H.  H.— Discharged  November  22d,  1862. 

Mallory,  Rollin. — Appointed  Corporal  September  18th,  1862;  re-enlisted 
December  17th,  1863;  taken  prisoner  at  Ackworth,  Georgia, 
October  4th,  1864;  sent  to  Andersonville;  paroled  November 
20th;  exchanged  January  1st,  1865;  returned  to  duty;  promoted 
Sergeant;  discharged  September  16th.  1865. 

Mallory,  William  B.— Appointed  Corporal  April  23d,  1862;  promoted 
Sergeant  May  1st,  1863;  Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Mackey,  Milton.— Recruit;  re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  taken 
prisoner  at  Ackworth,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1864;  escaped  in 
December  by  running  the  gauntlet  of  the  rebel  guard;  traveled 
through  a  trackless  forest  one  hundred  miles;  reached  our  lines 
in  Florida;  came  home;  returned  to  duty;  captured  again  by 
guerrillas,  near  Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  and  brutally 
murdered. 

Mitchell,  Charles  W.— Recruit;  re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  mus- 
tered out  September  16th,  1865. 

Nealon,  P.  K. — Appointed  Corporal  April  23d,  1862;  promoted  Sergeant 
September  15th,  1863;  re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  taken 
prisoner  at  Ackworth,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1854;  held  as 
prisoner  during  the  war. 

Oakes,  Horace. — Discharged  February  13th,  1863. 
O'Donald,  William.— Deserted  June  14th,  1861. 
Pelton,  Addison  G.— Died  December  6th,  1861. 
Page,  William.— Discharged  April  1st,  1862. 


224 

Parker,  William.—  Discharged  February  5th,  1862. 

Pettit,  George  W.— Died  April  1st,  1861. 

Pettit,  Joseph.—  Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Pettiiigill,  George  S.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Pierce,  Charlie  G.— Discharged  August  13th,  1861. 

Porter,  Dennis. — Discharged  August  18th,  1861. 

Parker,  Joel  JB. — Discharged  August  13th,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at 
the  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Page,  Franklin. — Discharged  November  23d,  1862. 

Robinson,  Charles  B.— Discharged  August  llth,  1861. 

Russell,  Michael.— Deserted  June  14th,  1861. 

Stockwell,  William  H. — Recruit;  discharged  September  22d,  1864. 

Shapley,  N.  F. — Discharged,  August  9th,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  the 
Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Smalldridge,  Thomas  G.— Re-enlisted  December  23d,  1863;  mustered 
out  September  16th,  1865. 

Spencer,  Leroy. — Transferred  to  brass  band;  mustered  out  April,  1862. 

Smith,  Simon.— Re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  mustered  out  Septem- 
ber 16th,  1865. 

Stewart,  Clark.— Appointed  Corporal  September  16th,  1861;  promoted 
Sergeant,  September  18th,  1862;  discharged  October  21st,  1862. 

Stephens,  Marshall.— Appointed  Corporal  October  26th,  1862;  discharged 
October  26th,  1862,  for  wounds  received  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Stephens,  Henry  E. — Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Stevens,  John  F.— Deserted  1861. 

Spicer,  John  M.— Killed  at  the  Battle  of  Shiloh,  April  6th,  1862. 

St.  John,  Thomas  H.— Wounded  at  Siege  of  Corinth;  mustered  out  June 
18th,  1864. 

Stull,  Marenas  P.— Discharged  February  3d,  1862. 

Smith,  Richard  W.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Slocum,  Myron  J.— Recruit;  re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863:  mustered 
out  September  30th,  1865. 

Shearer,  Egbert  R.— Discharged  December  3d,  1862,  for  wounds  received 
at  Battle  of  Shiloh. 

Thompson,  Harrison.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Thompson,  Lewis.  -  Recruit;  discharged  July  28th,  1862. 

Tourle,  Thomas.— Died  October  14th,  1861. 

Timmony,  James  D.—  Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Thomson,  Milo  A.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Trumble,  Albert  E.— Recruit;  re-enlisted;  taken  prisoner  at  Ackworth, 
Georgia,  October  4th,  1864;  held  as  prisoner  during  the  war. 

Underwood,  Charles  A.— Wounded  at  Shiloh;  appointed  Corporal  Sep- 
tember 28th,  1861;  re-enlisted;  mustered  out  September  16th, 
1865. 


225 

Underwood,  Richard  J. — Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Underwood,  William  H.—  Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Venerd,  Charles.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 

Venard,  Thomas.— Re-enlisted  December  17th,  1863;  taken  prisoner  at 
Ackworth,  Georgia,  October  4th,  1864;  taken  to  Andersonvillei 
was  paroled  November  20th;  exchanged  January  1st,  and  re- 
turned to  duty;  discharged  September  30th,  1865. 

Virtrees,  John  W.— Re-enlisted;  mustered  out  September  30th,  1865. 

Welch,  William.— Deserted  September  27th,  1861. 

Walden,  Delenzo  A. — Recruit;  discharged  July  28,  1862. 

Williams  Robert  M.— Mustered  out  June  18th,  1864. 


226 


TABLE  OF  DISTANCES 


BETWEEN  DIFFERENT  PLACES  TRAVELED  BY   THE   15TH    ILLINOIS  VOLUN- 
TEER INFANTRY  DURING  ITS  TERM  OF  SERVICE. 


1861. 

June     18,  Freeport to 

July      19,  Alton " 

July      29,  St.  Charles " 

Aug.  1,  Mexico  (R.  Wing)..  " 

Aug.  1,  Mexico  (L.  Wing)..  " 

Aug.       8,  Fulton. « 

Aug.  10,  Hannibal(L.Wing).  « 

Aug.  10,  St.  Aubert(R.Wing)  " 

Aug.  13,  Jefferson  Barracks.  " 

Aug.     13,  St.  Louis « 

Sept.     30,  Holla « 

Sept.  30,  Gasconade  River. ..   " 

Oct.        4,  Rolla " 

Oct.      21,  Tipton " 

Nov.       5,  Springfield " 

Nov.     27,  Tipton « 

Nov.     27,  Syracuse " 

Dec.        8,  Tipton " 

Dec.      15,  Otterville « 

Dec.     25,  Sedalia " 

1862. 

Feb.       7,  Otterville " 

Feb.     12,  Jefferson  City " 

Feb.     16,  St.  Louis « 

March     5,  Ft.  Donelson " 

March      6,  Ft.  Henry " 

March    17,  Savanna " 

April  20,  Pittsburgh  Land'g.  " 

June        2,  Corinth " 

June  16,  Grand  Junction. . .  " 

June      18,  Holly  Springs " 

June  25,  Grand  Junction. . .  « 

June      30,  Lagrange " 

July       6,  Cold  water « 

July      17,  Lagrauge " 

Reconnoissance 

Sept.       6,  Memphis « 

Sept.     15,  Bolivar " 

Oct.        4,  Bolivar " 

Oct.        7,  Hatchie  River " 


Miles. 

Alton By  rail . .  250 

St.  Charles,  Mo "  water    25 

Mexico,  Mo "  rail..    80 

Fulton,  Mo "  foot..     25 

Hannibal,  Mo «  foot..     80 

St.  Auburt,  Mo.  "  foot..     35 

Jefferson  Barracks "  water  150 

Jefferson  Barracks «  water  125 

St.  Louis "  water    12 

Rolla,  Mo "  rail . .  110 

Gasconade  River,  Mo "  foot..    13 

Rolla "  foot. .     13 

Tipton,  Mo "  rail  . .  200 

Springfield,  Mo "  foot..  150 

Tipton,  Mo "  foot. .  150 

Syracuse,  Mo "  foot..      6 

Tipton "  foot..      6 

Otterville,  Mo «  foot..    18 

Sedalia,  Mo "  foot..    25 

Otterville,  Mo "  foot..    25 

Jefferson  City,  Mo "  foot..    50 

St.  Louis "  rail . .  100 

Ft.  Donelson,  Tenn "  water  400 

Ft.  Henry,  Tenn "  foot. .     15 

Savanna,  Tenn "  water  110 

Pittsburgh  Ldg,  Tenn "  water    20 

Corinth,  Miss «  foot. .    20 

Grand  Junction,  Tenn. ..   "  foot..    45 

Holly  Springs,  Miss "  foot..     30 

Grand  Junction,  Tenn...  "  foot..    30 

Lagrange,   Tenn "  foot..      5 

Cold  water,  Miss "  foot . .    18 

Lagrange,  Tenn "  foot..     18 

Memphis,  Tenn "  foot..     50 

24 

Bolivar,  Tenn "  foot..     88 

Dunlap  Sp'gs (and return)  "  foot..     10 

Hatchie  River "  foot..    30 

Bolivar  .                             .  "  foot. .     30 


227 


Nov.       3,  Bolivar  

to  Lagrange  By  foot..    22 

Nov.       7,  Reconnoissance  — 

10 

Nov.      28,  Lagrange  

"    Lumpkins  Mills,  Miss  

"     foot..     32 

1863. 

Lumpkins  Mills  

«    Springdale  

«    foot..     30 

Jan.      13,  Springdale  :  . 

"    Lagrange,  Tenn  

"    foot..     62 

Jan.      20,  Lagrange  

"    Lafayette,  Tenn  

«     foot..     20 

Lafayette  

"    Moscow     and      counter- 

marching    back     and 

forth  

"    foot..     60 

Jan.      29,  Lafayette  

"    Stockade  

«    foot..       3 

Reconnoissance  

20 

March  11,  Stockade  

"    Memphis  

"    foot..     28 

May      13,  Memphis  

"    Youngs  Point,  La  

"    water  400 

Mav      18,  Youngs  Point  

«    Grand  Gulf,  Miss  

"    water    60 

May      20,  Grand  Gulf  

"    Chickasaw  Landing,  Miss. 

«    water    85 

May     21,  Chickasaw  Landing 

"    Haines  Bluff,  Miss  

"    foot.  .     12 

May      24,  Haines  Bluff  

«    "Waterton,  Miss  

"    foot..     20 

July       5,  Waterton  

"    Jackson,  Miss  

"    foot..    50 

July      20,  Jackson  

"    Vicksburg,  Miss  

«    foot.  .     50 

Aug.     12,  Vicksburg  

"    Natchez,  Miss  

"    water  125 

Aug.     13,  Natchez  

"    Kingston,  Miss  

«    foot...    20 

Aug.     20,  Kingston  

"    Natchez,  Miss  

"    foot..     20 

Sept.      1,  Natchez  

"    Harrisburg,  La  

"    foot.  .     60 

Returned  

60 

Oct.            Natchez  

«    Vicksburg,  Miss  

By  water  125 

Vicksburg  

"    Camp  Cowan,  Miss  

"    water    12 

1864. 

Feb.       2,  Camp  Cowan  

«    Meridian,  Miss  

"    water  200 

Feb.      20,  Meridian  

"    Camp  Cowan,  Miss  

"    water  200 

Camp  Cowan  

"    Cairo,  111  

"    water  700 

Cairo  

"    Clifton,  Tenn  

,  "    water  300 

Clifton  

"    Huntsville,  Ala  

"    foot..  250 

(Non-veterans)  

"    Springfield,  111  

«    rail  .  .  700 

June      1,  14th  and  15th  regiments  consolidated  and  known  as  the  14th 

and  15th  Veteran  Battalion. 

May      26,  Huntsville  

to   Decatur,  Ala  

By  foot..     35 

June     10,  Decatur  

"    Rome,  Ga  

"    foot..  150 

June     16,  Rome  

"    Kingston,  Ga  

«    foot..     18 

Kingston  

"    Allatoona,  Ga  

"    foot.  .     20 

June    20,  Allatoona  

«    Etowah  Bridge,  Ga    

"    foot..    20 

Returned  

"    foot..     20 

July       8,  Allatoona  

"    Marietta,  Ga  

"    foot.  .     20 

Marietta  

"    Roswell,  Ga  

"    foot..     20 

Returned  

«    foot.  .     20 

July      10,  Scout  

u         . 

28 

July      12,  Scout  

• 

30 

July      18,  Marietta  

"    Ackworth,  Ga  

"    foot..     12 

July      19,  

"    Returned  

12 

July      25,  Scout  

40 

228 


Aug.     25,  Marietta to 

Scout « 

Aug.     31 ,  Dalton « 

Sept.  to 

Oct.        4,  Scouts " 

Oct.        5,  Ackworth " 

Oct.        8,  Marietta  " 

Oct.      10,  Dalton « 

Nov.  Atlanta " 

1865. 

Feb.          Savannah " 

May          Ealeigh " 

June         Washington " 

July      1,  Louisville " 

St.  Louis " 

Ft.  Leavenworth. .   .  " 


Sept.        Leavenworth.. 


Dalton,  Ga By  rail  . .    80 

"  foot..     40 

Ackworth,  Ga "  rail  . .    63 

150 

Marietta,  Ga "  foot..    12 

Dalton,  Ga «  foot..     80 

Atlanta,  Ga «  foot..  100 

Savannah,  Ga "  foot..  300 

Raleigh,  N.  C "  foot. .  400 

Washington, D.  C "  foot..  400 

Louisville,  Ky "  rail..  500 

St.  Louis,  Mo "  water  500 

Ft.  Leavenworth,  Kan. ..   "  water  400 

Ft.  Kearney,  Neb "  foot..  300 

Returned 300 

Springfield,  111 "  rail . .  500 


Grand  total 10,897 


229 


LETTER  FROM  THE  IOTH  REG'T  ILL.  VOL. 

MEMPHIS,  Tennessee,  March  20th,  1863. 

Respected  Parent:  Your  kind  letter,  bearing  date  of  March  1st,  was 
received  last  evening.  The  sad  news  that  it  contained,  regarding  the  death 
of  Alsera,  had  been  anticipated  by  me.  I  have  expected  the  letters  which 
I  received  from  home  for  the  past  two  weeks  would  contain  an  account  of 
her  decease.  From  what  had  been  written,  in  regard  to  her  sufferings,  I 
had  inferred  that  she  could  not  remain  with  us  much  longer.  Although, 
in  a  measure,  prepared  to  receive  the  sad  intelligence,  and  knowing  it  to 
be  far  better  for  her  to  be  relieved  from  suffering  than  to  drag  out  weary 
days  and  nights  in  misery  and  pain,  which  she  bore  with  commendable 
fortitude,  patience  and  resignation,  I  cannot  forbear  to  express  that  the 
event  we  have  so  long  anticipated  cast  a  deeper  shade  of  sorrow  over  my 
heart  than  has  existed  there  since  my  own  dear  angel  sister  bid  adieu  to 
earthly  things  and  took  up  her  abode  with  angels.  And  now,  as  imagina- 
tion faintly  glimmers  to  me  the  beauties  of  that  angel  home,  I  see  Alzina 
with  outstretched  arms  and  joyful  smiles,  welcome  Alsera  from  her  long 
period  of  suffering  and  pain  to  the  love,  holy  light  and  affection  of  her 
spirit  home,  surrounded  by  a  multitude  of  kindred  friends  who  have  pre- 
ceded her  to  that  world  of  light  and  joy.  To  her,  the  reality  of  those  beau- 
ties has  been  realized. 

" Oh,  how  happy,  sweet,  will  that  meeting  be 

When  over  the  river,  that  peaceful  river,  the  angel  of  death  shall  carry  me  !" 

Thus  the  last  one  of  that  family  has  passed  away,  but  I  trust,  only  to  bloom 
in  a  brighter  clime  where  separation  and  death  are  unknown,  and  as  the 
angels  are  gathering  us  all,  one  by  one,  into  that  spirit-land  where  dwell 
our  departed  friends,  we  begin  to  realize  that  this  is  not  our  permanent 
home  and  that  we,  too,  will  soon  lay  aside  the  clay  tenement  and  join  in 
an  unbroken  circle  the  friends  of  our  earlier  years.  In  conclusion,  I  will 
add,  let  us  all  endeavor  to  live  as  pure  and  blameless  a  life  as  she  has  lived. 
Let  us  emulate  her  virtues  and  press  forward  on  the  journey  of  life,  gain- 
ing victory  after  victory  of  goodness  over  evil,  truth  over  error,  conquering 
even  the  sting  of  death  itself  and  finally  triumph  in  a  glorious  immortality. 
In  your  last  letter  you  spoke  of  our  National  difficulties  and  spoke  of  a 
remedy.  It  is  my  lot  to  differ  with  you  slightly  and  what  I  shall  write  in 
reference  to  the  matter  will  emanate  from  a  pure  motive  and  a  desire  to 
vindicate  the  truth..  You  also  spoke  of  a  letter  that  I  had  written  home 
that  accused  the  copperheads  of  trying  to  break  up  this  Government,  which 
caused  some  to  rejoice.  I  do  not  remember  of  accusing  the  copperheads  of 
any  such  thing.  If  I  did,  I  did  not  express  what  I  intended  to,  but  I  will 
say  this  much,  I  do  believe  that  if  they  could  carry  out  their  designs,  it 
would  result  in  the  dismemberment  of  our  Union.  I  say  this  without 
accusing  them  of  being  traitors  or  stigmatizing  them  as  tories.  From  what 
you  wrote,  I  would  infer  that  some  of  my  friends  think  that  I  have  changed 
my  political  belief  or  opinion  in  regard  to  the  manner  in  which  this  War  is 


230 

conducted.  Now,  I  do  not  claim  to  have  changed  my  opinion  in  the  least. 
Those  persons  who  wage  such  a  suicidal,  venomous  and  destructive  war 
against  the  administration,  I  claim  do  not  represent  the  time-honored  prin- 
ciples of  the  Democratic  party.  If  they  would  devote  the  time  and  talents 
they  use  in  denouncing  and  endeavoring  to  weaken  thepower  of  the  adminis- 
•  tration,  to  the  purpose  of  helping  us  save  our  country  from  ruin  and 
destruction,  I  would  call  them  Democrats,  and  unite  with  them  heart  and 
hand.  The  motto  of  the  Democratic  party  under  the  leadership  of  that 
noble,  firm  old  patriot,  Jackson,  was  "  The^  Federal  Union  it  must  and 
shall  be  preserved,"  and  that  motto  still  finds  a  responsive  echo  in  the 
heart  of  every  true  Democrat.  Now,  how  is  this  Union  to  be  preserved? 
Is  it  by  righting  and  waging  a  suicidal  war  against  the  administration  and 
our  rulers,  while  nearly  one-half  of  the  Union  is  openly  arrayed  against 
the  other  in  deadly  conflict,  seeking  to  destroy  the  government  by  force  of 
arms,  and  now,  while  it  is  reeling  and  tottering  on  the  verge  of  destruc- 
tion, bleeding  at  every  pore?  Again  I  ask,  is  finding  fault  with  the  admin- 
istration and  bitterly  denouncing  the  measures  it  has  taken  to  crush  this 
Rebellion,  thereby  weakening  its  power  and  efficiency,  when  every  true 
lover  of  his  country  should  sustain  him  in  this  trying  hour  -is  this  going  to 
save  us?  Can  any  sane  man  believe  it?  What,  then,  is  going  to  save  us? 
What  has  been  the  secret  of  the  success  of  the  rebels  thus  far?  It  is  a 
unity  of  purpose  and  action.  You  hear  no  caviling  amongst  them  about 
this  measure  or  that.  Their  motto  is:  "  We  will  triumph.  We  will 
establish  our  independence,  even  if  we  have  to  pull  down  the  bulwarks  of 
Liberty  and  plant  our  banner  of  Treason  over  the  ruins  of  the  mightiest 
republic  that  ever  existed,"  and  they  act  in  harmony  and  concert,  and 
with  a  valor  worthy  of  a  better  cause.  So  we,  too,  if  we  would  not  have 
Star  of  Liberty  set,  and  our  glorious  Republic  and  her  institutions  prove  a 
failure,  must  act  in  concert  and  harmony,  and  heart  and  hand  sustain  our 
executive,  help  save  our  country  and  the  glorious  old  Stars  and  Stripes, 
the  flag  our  fathers  bore,  and  under  which  they  achieved,  our  liberties 
from  dishonor  and  shame. 

Now,  what  good  has  this  determined  opposition  to  the  administration 
done?  No  one  can  tell.  But  it  has  done  incalculable  injury.  It  gives 
hope  and  encouragement  to  the  traitors.  They  see  that  we  are  falling  fast 
by  our  own  hands.  They  believe  that  the  stab  in  the  back  which  the 
President  is  receiving  will  crush  us  and  proclaim  their  independence. 
They  rely  more  to-day  upon  dissensions  and  divisions  in  the  North  for  the 
success  of  their  cause,  than  they  do  upon  any  victory  they  hope  to  obtain 
over  us  by  force  of  arms.  Are  the  people  blind  to  this  fact?  If  not,  why, 
oh!  why  will  they  persist  in  so  fatal  a  policy,  while  pur  country  is  nearly 
in  its  death  agonies,  reeling  and  tottering  from  centre  to  circumference? 
Is  there  no  blood  of  our  Revolutionary  sires  coursing  througn  their  veins? 
Have  they  so  soon  forgotten  the  blessings  of  civil  liberty  and  republican 
institutions  for  which  they  fought,  as  to  be  dead  to  all  sense  of  shame? 
No!  No!  I  cannot  believe  it!  I  will  yet  have  faith  in  the  American  peo- 
ple that  they  will  preserve  to  us  and  our  posterity  the  blessings  bequeathed 
to  us  by  our  Revolutionary  fathers.  It  is  a  mystery  to  me  why  these  peace 
and  compromise  men  will  persist  in  their  course,  when  the  South  spurns 
with  contempt  and  scorn  the  olive  branch  they  would  hold  out  to  them.  I 


231 

should  think  that  even  those  vile  traitors  who  propose  to  unite  the  great 
Northwest  with  the  slave  oligarchy  would  shrink  back   aghast  at  the 
terms  the  learned  judge  of  Mississippi  has  seen  fit  to  offer  us,  i.  e., 
if  we  will  purge  ourselves  of  all  Union   sentiment,  pride  for  our  flag, 
they  might  let  us  in.    Magnanimous,  indeed!    If  there  is  a  traitor  base 
enough  to    accept  these  terms,  he  is  unworthy  even  the  vile  name  of 
traitor.    He  would  be  a  fit  companion  for  his  Satanic  Majesty.    I  will 
not  question  the  motives  of   these  copperheads,  until  their  acts  belie 
their  words,  but  I  claim  the  right  to  criticise  their  views  and  what  their 
principles  will  lead  to  if  carried  out.    Now,  I  reverence  and  respect  the 
Constitution  as  much  as  any  one.    It  is  indeed  the  foundation  on  which 
rests  our  liberties  and  the  nucleus  around  which  has  gathered  all  our 
glory,  greatness  and  prosperity,  and  for  this  reason  I  am  the  more  anxious 
that  it  shall  be  preserved,  therefore,  I  am  with  the  President  in  his  efforts 
to  save  it  and  against  those  who  are  seeking  its  overthrow.    The  Consti- 
tution was  made  for  the  Nation  and  if  after  following  it  and  exhausting 
all  the  resources  it  contains  to  crush  the  Rebellion  and  then  fail,  and  if  a 
slight  deviation  in  one  or  two  places  from  that  sacred  instrument  will  save 
it,  I  say,  "For  heaven's  sake,  save  the  Nation.    Then  you  will  have  the 
Constitution  preserved  to  you  also."    The  President  saw  that  slave  labor 
was  one  of  the  main  dependencies  for  support.    It  would  cripple  their 
power  and  the  Nation  is  now  awaiting  the  issue.    It  is  not  for  us  to 
determine  whether  the  means  he  uses  to  crush  this  Rebellion  are  consti- 
tutional or  not.    There  is  a  proper  tribunal  to  refer  such  cases  to.    I  am 
not  here  to  find  fault  with  such  measures.    My  duty  is  plain  and  clear. 
The  laws  are  being  violated  and  the  country  trampled  under  foot.    The 
civil  authorities  have  proved  unequal  to  the  task  of  restoring  order,  hence 
the  necessity  of  calling  on  military  aid  and  each  soldier  has  taken  an  oath 
to  obey  all  legal  orders  of  his  superiors  and  support  the  President  of  the 
United  States.    That  oath  I  cannot  break,  neither  can  I  countenance  the 
acts  of  those  who  are  constantly  throwing  stumbling  blocks  in  the  way  of 
the  President.    The  President  is  just  as  much  bound  by  his  oath  as  I  am 
by  mine  and  until  he  violates  his  oath  to  support  the  Constitution  and  a 
court  of  impeachment  finds  him  guilty,  let  us  support  him.    Without  the 
aid  of  the  people  he  can  do  nothing  and  we  are  lost.    Shall  it  be  said  that 
Americans  have  proved  recreant  to  their  trust?    Shall  it  be  said  that  we 
have  permitted  our  Nation  to  fall,  to  go  back  to  the  darkness  of  midnight, 
to  become  a  by-word,  a  stench  in  the  nostrils  of  haughty  monarchs  and 
crowned  heads?    My  God  forbid!    I  want  to  look  forward  to  the  future  of 
America  with  brighter  hopes  and  brighter  visions  than  ever  before,  and 
when  this  Rebellion  is  crushed,  I  shall  begin  to  look  for  the  realization  of 
my  wishes.    Perhaps  I  ought  to  stop  here,  but  I  will  make  one  more 
remark.    I  would  be  pleased  if  the  President  would  change  his  policy  in 
some  respects.    I  do  not  agree  with  him  in  all  his  measures,  still,  I  con- 
sider it  my  duty  to  support  him.    It  will  not  do  to  let  our  passions  and 
prejudices  run  in  so  fearful  a  crisis  as  this.    You  need  not  feel  alarmed 
about  my  leaving  the  Democratic  party.    When  our  country  is  saved, 
there  will  be  time  enough  to  talk  about  that.    Until  that  time  arrives, 
party  strife  and  party  feelings  adieu.    A  higher  and  a  nobler  aim  beckons 
me  onward  and  you  cannot  mingle  in  the  strife.    When  quiet  and  order 


232 

again  returns  and  we  be  permitted  to  return  home,  if  we  have  any  wrongs 
to  redress,  we  can  do  it  peaceably  at  the  ballot  box.  Then  we  can  with 
safety  pass  our  judgment  on  the  wisdom  of  the  President  in  his  course 
during  the  Rebellion.  I  suppose,  to  sum  it  all  up,  we  do  not  differ  much, 
but  I,  being  in  the  army,  see  some  things  in  a  different  light  from  you.  I 
have  to  deal  with  traitors  face  to  face.  I  have  talked  with  them  and  know 
their  feelings.  Our  greatest  fault  is  being  too  lenient  with  them.  I  am 
wearied  with  writing  and  will  close. 

The  boys  are  all  well  and  in  good  spirits.    Probably  we  will  remain 
here  some  time. 

Your  affectionate  son, 

L.  W.  BAEBEE, 

Company  J9,  loth  Regiment  Illinois  Volunteers. 


233 


DIED.— In  Biley,  Illinois,  March  12th,  1872,  of  consumption,  Lucius 
W.  Barber,  aged  32  years  and  9  months. 

Deceased  was  a  very  worthy,  exemplary  young  man,  much  beloved  by 
his  friends  and  acquaintances.  When  the  Eebellion  broke  out  he  was  one 
of  the  first  to  enroll  his  name  amongst  his  country's  defenders  and,  with 
others  of  his  comrades,  joined  Company  D,  15th  Illinois  Infantry,  and  shared 
in  the  fortunes  of  the  15th  during  their  full  term  of  service.  Was  taken 
prisoner  during  the  War  and  lodged  in  Andersonville  Prison,  where  from 
exposure  and  maltreatment,  he  received  the  seed  of  a  disease  which  finally 
terminated  his  life.  He  returned  home,  at  the  close  of  the  war,  shattered 
in  health,  yet  hopeful  that  a  change  of  climate  and  proper  treatment  might 
work  a  cure,  but  it  seemed  that  no  earthly  power  could  stay  the  inroads  of 
the  disease  which  had  taken  such  sure  hold  upon  him.  Gradually  his 
system  sank  under  it,  yet,  he  was  always  hopeful  and  cheerful.  As  his 
days  were  drawing  to  a  close  he  disposed  of  all  his  keepsakes  and  memen- 
toes to  his  friends,  made  all  the  necessary  arrangements  for  his  funeral 
services  and  then  calmly  and  patiently  awaited  death.  He  retained  the 
full  use  of  all  his  mental  faculties  until  a  short  time  before  his  death,  when 
he  became  unconscious  and  soon  expired,  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan. 
Thus  has  passed  away  a  very  worthy  young  man,  another  victim  of  the 
horrible  cruelties  practiced  at  Andersonville^  Kind  friends  laid  his  body 
carefully  and  tenderly  away  in  the  family  burying  ground  on  the  old  home- 
stead, by  the  side  of  two  sisters  who  had  preceded  him  to  the  spirit-land. 
Faithful  friend  and  brother,  fare  thee  well! 


